Innocent
by MagicWrites
Summary: Kurt's attraction to Blaine grows, but their lives are complicated as Kurt learns more about Blaine's past and Karofsky's abuse escalates. Starting from the episode "Never Been Kissed".
1. Prologue

**Author's Note**: This is a short preview chapter of what I've been working on for this fanfic. If it's well received, I will definitely keep going.

"What are you looking for?"

Still frazzled from the events of the morning, Kurt's eyes continued to glance over at the restaurant's entrance at regular intervals. Quite unaware of who or what he expected to walk through the door, he didn't answer. He turned his head back slowly to face Blaine, who sat across from him with a quizzical expression on his face.

There was something about the way Blaine looked at him that made Kurt feel like he could see straight through him. It was both terrifying and endearing how just a glance could make blood instantly rush to his cheeks. He turned away again, choosing to fix his gaze on the California rolls he was pushing around his plate with chopsticks. It had been Kurt's idea to get lunch at that particular sushi restaurant, but he had only suggested it out of courtesy. He knew the food was good, so Blaine would enjoy himself, but he himself had no appetite. The previous few days had been a whirlwind of emotions. He could barely believe it hadn't all been some insane, flu hallucination. Or at least a coma fantasy.

Kurt had guessed there were hidden reasons for Karofsky's homophobia, but it hadn't crossed his mind that maybe he was in the closet. In hindsight, it made perfect sense, but how quickly everything had changed had rattled Kurt's brain and made it difficult for him to think rationally about anything. Underneath his shock and confusion, Kurt was angry. All this time, Karofsky had made Kurt feel like he wasn't worth the air he breathed for being gay. He wondered how he was supposed to face Karofsky now, knowing that he had taken Kurt's first kiss and didn't have the decency to even admit it.

"You feeling any better?" Blaine asked, tenderness in his voice. Enough time had passed since his last question that he had obviously assumed Kurt wasn't going to answer.

"I suppose."

His tone wasn't convincing, and Blaine noticed. He placed his right hand on top of Kurt's, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Kurt felt the heat rise to his face again, but he hadn't the willpower to pull away. He reprimanded his weak little heart for feeling things it wasn't supposed to. Their waitress arrived with the bill, eyeing their touching arms suspiciously. Filled with undeserved shame, Kurt pulled his hand away and placed it on his lap. _I fall too hard and too easily, don't I? _Yet the tiny part of Kurt's heart that still believed in miracles couldn't help but notice how long Blaine's fingers lingered against his skin and he retracted his arm.

"It sounds ridiculous, but a first kiss is important to me. I just wish it had happened with someone who hadn't been shoving me into lockers since freshman year," he lamented. "Someone who would acknowledge me as someone of value in public."

"It doesn't sound as strange to me as you might think" Blaine replied, shrugging his shoulders as he stood up, pulling two twenty dollar bills out of his wallet and leaving them on top of the bill. Kurt was sure Blaine was humouring him with his compassionate response, but didn't push the subject. He made a move to stand, and Blaine extended a helping hand, which Kurt accepted against his better judgement.

"There'll be other kisses, you know."

Kurt cursed his wandering thoughts.


	2. Nothing to Lose

Chapter 1 - Nothing to Lose

_There's nothing to lose_

_When no one knows your name_

_There's nothing to gain_

_But the days don't seem to change_

_There's nothing to lose_

_My notebook will explain_

_There's nothing to gain_

_And I can't fight the pain_

Bracing for impact, Kurt felt his body tensed up as he was slammed face-first into his open locker. Defeated in both body and mind, he slid down to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest. Knowing Karofsky was in the closet didn't make Kurt feel any better about being pushed around. In fact, it made the situation something Kurt hadn't anticipated it could become: worse. Compounded by the fact that his peers in the crowded hallway offered nothing more than a rare pitying glance, Kurt had never felt quite so alone.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to shake every girl who looked at him with quiet sympathy. He wanted to demand to know why she did nothing more than stare when she could help him up, at the very least. Pain spread through him like a virus, and not just to his aching limbs, but to his heart as well. Why didn't anyone care? He felt the familiar burning sensation that indicated the unwanted arrival of tears, but he willed them not to leave his eyes. He didn't need any more humiliation.

He pulled himself up off the floor, taking one last pained look at the photo of Blaine in his locker before closing it. Kurt thought about how much easier his life would be if he had his rock with him at school, but unfortunately a picture would have to suffice. For the longest time, life had been lacking in something, and he hadn't been able to put his finger on it. He now realized that he, until meeting Blaine, had never had a person who truly understood him. His dad stood up for him and Kurt loved him very much, but he would never be able to support him in the way Kurt needed. His friends from glee club were there, but it seemed that they were so preoccupied with their own drama and dilemmas that they couldn't be bothered with his pain. When someone asked him what was wrong or wondered if he was okay, he never felt like their inquiry was anything more than an attempt to temporarily assuage their guilt before moving on to their own issues.

Only Blaine seemed to truly care. Maybe it was Kurt's wishful thinking, but Blaine's concern was never anything less than completely genuine. He'd been where Kurt was now, harassed and alone. Then there was the way he looked at him...no, Kurt refused to think it. He didn't need to go down that road again. Just because Blaine was gay didn't mean he was interested. Time and time again, Kurt pursued people who would never feel anything more than friendship for him, and if he could avoid it, he wouldn't make that mistake ever again, especially when there was such an important friendship on the line. After the incident with Karofsky, Kurt knew he needed Blaine to be around, even if he couldn't have him in the way he wouldn't allow his mind to think about.

Kurt's classes passed by uneventfully, unless being called a "fag" several times by the football team, Karofsky included, counted as an event. In Kurt's mind, it didn't. It happened far too often to be considered extraordinary.

Lunch with Mercedes had been like always, laughter and gossip. Kurt's heart, however, was only half in it. In the back of his mind was Dalton Academy. He thought that though the grass is always greener, Dalton seemed light years ahead of McKinley High. He'd never fit in anywhere before, and for the first time, he felt that maybe he could belong after all.

The end of the school day neared, and Kurt reluctantly entered the boy's bathroom before the ride home. That place had never made him feel particularly comfortable, but he didn't have another option.

Washing his hands in the sink, Kurt took a moment to look at his reflection. The boy staring back at him was different from the one he had seen mere months ago. This Kurt was tired, broken, sad. He had bags under his eyes from sleepless nights. He looked worn. Everything was taking it's toll. His father's heart attack, Karofsky's abuse, his increasing alienation from the rest of the school, all of it. He didn't want to be this person anymore.

Kurt had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn't heard the bathroom door open. Only when the face of Karofsky appeared in the mirror did Kurt spin around, placing his hands firmly on the sink behind him. Kurt reacted quickly, but Karofsky was faster. He pushed Kurt back against the mirror, pressing their lips together aggressively. Kurt wanted to die. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He tried desperately to free his hands, but Karofsky had them pinned against the sink. Lashing out the only way he could think of, Kurt jerked his knee into his attacker's thigh. Karofsky backed away, his eyes telling Kurt he was just as surprised and angry as he was.

"What the hell is your problem? Leave me alone!" Kurt demanded, his voice shaking.

"I...I don't...I can't...I don't know…" Karofsky mumbled, his hand on his forehead. His brow was furrowed and his eyes darted back and forth. Kurt tried to leave, but Karofsky pushed him back against the sink, which dug painfully into Kurt's spine.

"Leave me alone!" Kurt yelled, his voice more steady and increasing in volume.

"Shut up, just shut up!" Karofsky snapped, pacing back and forth across the cramped bathroom. "You can't...you can't tell anyone."

"You can't tell me what to do! I hate you! I hate you!"

Kurt felt a blinding pain in the left side of his face as Kurofsky's fist connected with his cheek. He fell to the floor, crying out in agony. He pulled himself up quickly, however, realizing he needed to get out. He made a run for the door as Kurofsky yelled after him.

"I'll kill you. I'll kill you!"

Kurt sprinted down the hall, heaving with tears. He didn't care about the looks he got from students who had yet to vacate the building. He never wanted to go back. He wanted to get out. He wanted to disappear.


	3. Reason to Believe

**Author's Note: **I want to thank you all for your amazing reviews. I appreciate so much that you're reading it, and I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying it so far. Keep reviewing and letting me know what you think!

**Reason to Believe**

_Just one more breath, I beg you please_

_Just one more step, my knees are weak_

_My heart is sturdy but it needs you to survive_

_My heart is sturdy but it needs you_

_Breathe, don't you want to breathe?_

_I know that you are strong enough to handle what I need_

_My capillaries scream, there's nothing left to feed on_

_My body needs a reason to cross that line_

_Will you carry me there one more time?_

To put it simply, Kurt was crying. Truthfully, crying was a warm, fuzzy word to describe what was really happening to Kurt. Cuddly, even. Truthfully, he was inconsolable. After racing out of the school at top speed, Kurt had collapsed behind the dumpster in the parking lot, the same dumpster in which he had been constantly thrown during the previous year. Behind the dumpster or in it. Things had changed, but they hadn't improved. There he lay in despair, sobbing uncontrollably. His head throbbed. He pulled out his phone, pressing 4 on his speed-dial. His hands were shaking to hard to keep a firm grasp, and he dropped his phone beside him on the ground. He heard it ring twice before a voice took over.

"Hey Kurt, what's up?" answered Blaine. "Kurt? You there?"

Hearing that voice intensified Kurt's cries, and he was unable to respond properly. After blubbering inarticulately for a few moments, he gave up trying to form comprehensible sentences.

"Kurt, what's wrong? Where are you?" Kurt heard the fear creeping into Blaine's voice. "I can come get you, just tell me where you are, okay?"

Kurt managed to mumble his location between his hysterical sobs.

"Okay, it's gonna take me a while, but I'm on my way, alright? I'm coming. Stay where you are."

He heard the dial tone replace Blaine's anxious voice. Knowing Blaine would be there was a small comfort, but it couldn't replace in Kurt's mind what had happened prior. It replayed itself on a seemingly never ending loop. He felt disgusting. It wasn't the kind of repulsive that he felt when he had been thrown in the dumpster or if he fell in mud. When that happened, he always had the comfort of knowing that a hot shower and a trip to the spa would put it right. This was different. This was the kind that made him wonder if he would ever feel clean again.

He heard footsteps from the other side of the dumpster, and he pulled his knees to his chest, hiding his feet from view. The footsteps stopped, and a car door opened and closed again. From inside the car, the sound of sobbing could be heard, though Kurt didn't register it. The two pained figures cried in unison for a few minutes, unaware of the other's pain. Then, the car drove away, leaving Kurt alone with his misery.

* * *

"Kurt?"

Kurt opened his eyes to see the familiar red and black uniform of Dalton Academy. Blaine was crouched down beside Kurt, who was still curled in the fetal position, his tearstained cheeks blotchy and red, his eyes puffy and hollow. Kurt had passed out from exhaustion. His limbs were sore from lying on the pavement and it hurt to move. Blaine rubbed Kurt's shoulder gently, his brow furrowed with concern.

"Come on, I'm taking you home."

"No. No, I can't, please no," Kurt whimpered, attempting fruitlessly to hide his face from Blaine. "I can't let my dad see me like this." Kurt lifted his face completely off the pavement, revealing his quickly blackening left eye. Blaine inhaled sharply at the sight. "He'll...I don't know what he'll do." The tears started again, despite Kurt's conscious refusal to cry. Kurt knew his father would lose his mind if he knew his son was being attacked at school, and Kurt didn't want to be the cause of any further pain. He hated being the reason for the look of suffering in Burt's eyes. He knew his father would take a bullet for him, but Kurt would do anything in his power to make sure that didn't happen, which included hiding his troubles with Karofsky from him.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand, interlacing their fingers and pulled him up of the ground. He took his thumb and wiped the tears from under Kurt's cheeks, taking special care to be gentle with his injured eye.

"I'll take you home with me, then," Blaine told him, giving him an encouraging smile. Kurt was reluctant to agree, but in his emotional state, he saw no possible options besides what Blaine was suggesting. He nodded wordlessly and walked with Blaine, who still held his hand firmly, to his car.

* * *

The car ride had been mostly silent, with Kurt spending much of the drive questioning his decision to go with Blaine. At Blaine's request, he had called his father to tell him he wouldn't be home that evening, and as it was a Friday night, Burt had reluctantly agreed. Kurt felt guilty for leaving his father alone, as he always did, but he knew it was better than allowing Burt to see him in his unfortunate state. Kurt stared out of the window, his semi-translucent reflection looking back at him. He could see, even with the less-than-clear image, that his eye was a nasty shade of purple.

"You ready to tell me what happened?"

"What do you think happened?" Kurt retorted, sure that Blaine had already figured it out.

"I think your closeted friend has a little problem with rejection"

"He is not my friend." Kurt snapped, his voice cracking.

"I'm sorry, of course he isn't," Blaine replied, his voice tender. He reached out, making sure to keep one hand on the steering wheel, and stroked Kurt's arm in apology. "I know how hard this is for you."

Kurt very much doubted that that was true, but he appreciated how desperately Blaine tried to make him feel better.

"You know, you don't have to keep getting yourself into dilemmas just so that I'll drive all the way to Lima," Blaine teased. "I'll come see you any time you want."

Kurt wanted to roll his eyes dramatically, but stopped himself, for it was then that he realized the truth in Blaine's statement, however jokingly he'd said it. Dalton Academy wasn't exactly close by, and this was the second time that week that he had driven all the way to McKinley High to help Kurt with something. He let his lips curve into a small smile, and Blaine took immediate notice.

"Is that a smile I see? I guess my fantastic wit and charm have done their duty."

"I guess they have," Kurt replied quietly.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine, who now had his eyes fixed on the road ahead of them. He smiled to himself. For that moment, no matter how fleeting, Kurt felt something like happiness. His eye hurt, his body ached, and his self-esteem had diminished to microscopic levels, but he wasn't alone anymore.


	4. Brick by Boring Brick

**Author's Note: **Thank you all SO much for your amazing reviews. You guys are the reason I keep writing, so keep the reviews coming. A note about the lyrics at the beginning of each chapter - I try my very best to find a song, any song, that has lyrics which fit the theme of the chapter as well as possible. If you have any songs that you think fit the general theme of this fic or whatever, please send them to me! The hardest part of writing this is the damn songs.

**Brick by Boring Brick**

_So one day he found her crying_

_Coiled up on the dirty ground_

_Her prince finally came to save her_

_And the rest you can figure out_

_But it was a trick_

_And the clock struck twelve_

_Well make sure to build your house brick by boring brick_

_Or the wolf's gonna blow it down_

_Keep your feet on the ground_

_When your head's in the clouds_

_Well go get your shovel_

_And we'll dig a deep hole_

_To bury the castle, bury the castle_

_Go get your shovel_

_And we'll dig a deep hole_

_We'll bury the castle, bury the castle_

_Well you built up a world of magic_

_Because your real life is tragic_

_Yeah you built up a world of magic_

_If it's not real_

_You can't hold it in your hand_

_You can't feel it with your heart_

_And I won't believe it_

_But if it's true_

_You can see it with your eyes_

_Oh, even in the dark_

_And that's where I want to be, yeah_

_

* * *

_

Kurt was leaning against the window of Blaine's seemingly brand-new Hyundai Elantra. It was a quiet car, a smooth ride, which allowed Kurt to travel the distance to Blaine's house with no motion sickness. Kurt knew quite a bit about cars from his father, and Blaine's apparent concern for the environment by choosing a low-emissions vehicle was impressive to him. He laughed internally at how masculine it was of him to be admiring Blaine's car. He supposed his father had rubbed off on him a bit more than he had previously believed.

He stared out at the darkening sky, his eyelids heavy. The last few days had been exhausting to say the least. Blaine, however, wouldn't allow Kurt to rest his eyes just yet. He shook Kurt's arm gently.

"Hey, keep your eyes open, Sleeping Beauty," he teased with a grin. "We're here."

Kurt sat up straight and looked past the windshield to see a set of wrought iron gates directly in front of the car. Despite the darkness, Kurt could see that behind them, a winding cobblestone driveway led to a house of such gargantuan proportions that Kurt's jaw drop. This dramatic gesture on his part did not go unnoticed by Blaine, who seemed humiliated by the size of his humble abode. The house, three stories of grey flagstone, had the majesty of a miniature castle and was illuminated by what looked like British streetlights lining the driveway all the way to the house. Kurt admired what he could see of the perfectly trimmed gardens. It was beautiful, but intimidated him. Blaine rolled down the window and pressed a button on the speaker system on the brick pillar that the left gate was attached to.

"Mom? It's Blaine, open up," he spoke into the box. _Mom_. Kurt mentally smacked himself. Of course he would be meeting Blaine's parents. His stomach did a back-flip as he envisioned that scenario. Blaine sensed his anxiety and turned back to the box, pressing the button again. "And I have someone with me, remember?" He reminded her for Kurt's benefit, Kurt was positive. He'd called his mother on the way there, and Kurt doubted she would have completely forgotten.

As he finished speaking, the gates began to slowly open with a dull creak. Kurt let out heavy sigh of worry, rubbing his hands against his legs.

"Don't worry, they'll love you," Blaine comforted him, pressing his foot down slowly against the gas, steering the car up the cobblestone. "How could they not?"

It was encouraging, but not enough to rid Kurt of the what-if's running through his mind. What if Blaine's parents weren't comfortable with Kurt being there, let along staying over? What if they didn't like his personality? What if he said something that was offensive to them? He had never been so nervous to meet somebody's parents before. He suspected his recent decline in confidence was at least partly responsible, but there was no doubting the fact that he wanted to impress Blaine's parents for selfish reasons. He wanted them to like him, nay, love him, just as Blaine had suggested. In the little part of his mind that he had no control over, the part that told him how to feel, Kurt hoped that if Blaine's parents loved him, maybe Blaine would love him too.

Kurt had been so lost in his thoughts that he only noticed that Blaine had parked, gotten out and was in the process of opening his passenger-side door when the window he had been leaning against moved out from under him. He caught himself in mid-fall, grabbing hold of Blaine's forearms to steady himself.

"You know you're still wearing a seat-belt," laughed Blaine, helping Kurt sit back up. "You wouldn't have fallen."

"Sorry, reflexes," Kurt mumbled, turning crimson as he unbuckled himself and exited the vehicle.

"Come on," Blaine said, wrapping his arm around Kurt's shoulders and giving him a squeeze. "Time to meet Mom and Dad."

Kurt stomach once again performed complex acrobatics as he was reminded of the what had distracted him in the first place. The pair walked towards Blaine's front doors, ascending a set of stone stairs before reaching their destination. Pressing down on the handle, Blaine winked at Kurt, a final expression of encouragement before pushing open the door.

The entrance way was a circular room with marble tiles and a massive crystal chandelier illuminating the entrance way. Kurt gazed around with wonder in his eyes. If his keen interest in interior design had taught him anything, it was that Blaine's mother was a goddess, or she had at least hired one to decorate.

"My great-grandfather designed it," commented a soft, high voice. Kurt moved his gaze from the chandelier to a petite brunette in designer clothes who he immediately knew to be Blaine's mother. "Hello, I'm Eleanor," she introduced, stepping towards Kurt and extending her hand. He took it, trying to remember all he'd learned about making a good first impressions.

"I'm Kurt, it's nice to meet you."

"Lovely to meet you also," she replied courteously, giving her son a kiss on the cheek before stepping out of the entrance way. "Dinner's on the table, darling."

Blaine motioned for Kurt to step into a room adjacent to the circular room, and as the moved, Kurt whispered to Blaine, his eyes drifting back to the chandelier.

"Are you royalty or something? Please tell me you're secretly Prince William," he joked.

"No, Prince William is unfortunately straight," Blaine laughed, replying in a similar hushed manner. Kurt wondered why Blaine felt the need to whisper such a statement. Was he simply returning the method in which Kurt's comment was delivered, or was he not comfortable discussing his sexuality around his parents?

Blaine led Kurt through an elegant if old-fashioned study into a uniformly decorated dining room, which was almost entirely filled with a long mahogany table. At it sat a mustached man of intimidating size, wearing what Kurt quickly identified as an Armani suit, and girl in her early teens who shared her mother's dainty stature, with long brown hair held off her face with a black bow. She was a private school attendee like her brother, though Kurt could not tell from the uniform she was dressed in which one she attended. Kurt raised his hand and waved awkwardly at the two, who were staring straight at him without emotion.

"This is Kurt," introduced Blaine, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Richard," replied Blaine's father, standing up to extend his hand to Kurt, who, being at the another end of the table, had to run over to shake it. Scurrying back to Blaine's side, he managed to catch a glimpse of Blaine's sister waving at him.

"That's Cora," Blaine told him, gesturing to where Kurt should sit.

"Nice to meet you," Kurt told the girl as he took his seat beside Blaine, directly across from Cora. Blaine's father sat at the head of the table, around the corner from Blaine, and Eleanor entered the room last, taking her place at the other end. On the table was a roast chicken, surrounded by plates of salad, mashed potatoes and green beans. The table was set so perfectly that it made Kurt wonder if this was how they ate every night, or if Blaine tipping them off about a guest made them behave differently. Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand under the table as Cora began filling her plate, indication to the rest of the party to do so as well.

Kurt wondered why he was so nervous. He and Blaine were not dating, not even close. They were friends, that was all. He was sure his obvious anxiety about the whole situation was amusing to Blaine, for who in their right mind would get so worked up over meeting their friend's parents? He immediately regretted letting even a hint of his true feelings show, and made a mental note to hide it better in the future. Things like that would only remain endearing for so long. Eventually, it would creep Blaine out.

The dinner went well, polite conversation was had by all, though Cora remained suspiciously silent. Kurt was beginning to feel more comfortable. Blaine's parents were welcoming and sweet. If they came off as a tad uptight, he guessed it was because having a guest made them as eager to impress as being their guest made him. He noticed, however, that Blaine avoided topics that would indicate his sexuality, changing the subjects whenever it got dangerously close. Kurt shrugged it off. He knew Blaine was comfortable with himself, and that was enough. Even if his parents weren't completely supportive, they let him change schools, so they obviously cared a lot about him.

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief as the meal neared a close. He had survived meeting Blaine's family without incident.

"So you're, like, a raging homosexual, right?"

The question came out of nowhere. Kurt's head shot up and it was clear that it was Cora who had spoken. She was staring at him, spinning her fork around in her hand, a calculating expression on her face. So much for an uneventful evening.


	5. I Will Possess Your Heart

**Author's Note: **Thanks again for your reviews! I appreciate you all so much. One thing I noticed was people wondering about why no one mentioned Kurt's eye. I had the explanation for that near the end of the last chapter, but decided to cut it at the cliffhanger for effect and forgot to place that explanation earlier in order to keep it in that chapter. So it has ended up at the beginning of this chapter. That was my mistake, and I'm sorry for confusion! I hope you enjoy this chapter! And you should listen to the song at the beginning if you never have, it's lovely.

**I Will Possess Your Heart **

(Death Cab for Cutie)

_How I wish you could see the potential,_

_The potential of you and me._

_It's like a book elegantly bound but,_

_In a language that you can't read._

_Just yet._

_You gotta spend some time, Love._

_You gotta spend some time with me._

_And I know that you'll find, love_

_I will possess your heart._

_You gotta spend some time, Love._

_You gotta spend some time with me._

_And I know that you'll find, love_

_I will possess your heart._

_There are days when outside your window_

_I see my reflection as I slowly pass,_

_And I long for this mirrored perspective_

_When we'll be lovers, lovers at last._

_You gotta spend some time, Love._

_You gotta spend some time with me._

_And I know that you'll find, love_

_I will possess your heart._

_You gotta spend some time, Love._

_You gotta spend some time with me._

_And I know that you'll find, love_

_I will possess your heart._

_I will possess your heart._

_I will possess your heart._

_You reject my advances and desperate pleas._

_I won't let you let me down so easily._

_So easily._

_

* * *

_

Silence filled the dining room as all eyes turned to Cora. Before Kurt could even begin to devise a way to respond to her, the rest of the family reacted.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" snapped Blaine, his face reddening.

"Cora, what did we say about suitable conversation topics?" sighed Eleanor, blushing in embarrassment. It was clear to Kurt that this was not the first time something incredibly inappropriate had come out of Cora's mouth.

Richard just groaned, rubbing his temples with his forefinger and thumb.

"Okay, you came rushing in here and told us not to say anything about the grotesque nature of his face!" Cora defended, pointing at Kurt's bruised eye. Kurt's face grew hot as he was reminded of the state of his appearance. He had almost forgotten during a meal which had been cordial and welcoming, at least until Blaine's sister had interjected. "You didn't say I couldn't bring up his obvious gayness!"

"Cora, shut your goddamn mouth," threatened Blaine, standing up. Kurt watched him as he did so. He had never seen Blaine angry, and he didn't like it one bit. There was pain in his eyes, and Kurt had the strangest urge to do whatever it took to make it go away. He hadn't felt such a strong desire before.

"Blaine, watch how you talk to your sister," reprimanded Richard, his voice tired, as if he had been through this exact scenario multiple times.

"No, she needs to watch how she talks to someone I...to my friend!" Blaine stumbled over his words as he grabbed Kurt's wrist and pulled him up. "Come on, let's go. I'm sick of this." He gently tugged on Kurt's arm, and Kurt followed him out of the room, feeling a mixture of confusion and humiliation. The entered a corridor off of the dining room that contained a large spiral staircase. As they left, Kurt could hear the remnants of an argument in which Cora was obviously losing.

"But he might as well be on fire!"

"What do you want from me, Cora? Do you want me to lock you in the basement when guests come over? Because that's what it's coming to!" Eleanor scolded. "Go to your room, I've had enough of you!" The sound of a chair scrapping against the floor could be heard, followed by hasty footsteps.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Cora caught up with them, tears streaming down her face. She pushed between them, forcing Blaine to let go of Kurt's wrist and ran into the bedroom at the end of the hall, slamming the door behind her.

Kurt was sitting on Blaine's bed. After experiencing the uncomfortable apologies from Eleanor that followed the dinner debacle, Blaine had ushered her out of the room, much to Kurt's pleasure. As lovely as Eleanor seemed, being apologized to for ten minutes straight wasn't entirely helpful. He gazed around the room, taking in the quirkiest bedroom he'd ever seen. It didn't have any feng shui, but Kurt strangely didn't mind. The room seemed to be a perfect square, large but not too large. The bed was a queen, situated directly across from the door so that when Blaine slept, his head would be against the wall with his feet facing the door. The room was standard white, but it was decorated enough to make up for it. The walls were covered in posters and various memorabilia from things Blaine had attended and places he'd been, from college football games to musicals to national parks. The wall with the door right in the middle was unique, and captivated Kurt. It covered entirely by photographs. Kurt stood up to take a closer look. Each picture was marked with information about when and where it was taken. Memories from "Space Camp, 4th Grade" and "Trip to Broadway, 7th Grade" illustrated to Kurt how much Blaine valued the past. He smiled, admiring Blaine's sentimentality. It was just one more thing to add to the list of what Kurt found charming.

Two pictures in particular caught Kurt's eyes. The first was a photo labelled "Disney World, 1st Grade", which pictured a 6 year old Blaine with who Kurt assumed to be Cora. The two were hugging tightly as they stood next to Cinderella. What Kurt found most intriguing about the picture was not that the two were hugging, but that next to a Disney Princess who the two were young enough to still believe was real, Blaine and Cora only wanted to hug each other. His heart hurt to look at it. The children in the photograph were a far cry from the distant, angry teenagers he had witnessed during the meal.

The second picture was that of a pubescent Blaine, acne and all, smiling next to a blonde boy who was a few inches taller than him. Kurt gazed at it curiously. From what he could see, most of Blaine's friends had been females up until the time period in which pictures of Dalton Academy began popping up. He wondered who he was. He leaned down to take a closer look, but as he did so, the sound of footsteps broke his train of thought. Kurt stood back up, rushing back to sit on the bed as Blaine entered.

"Sorry I took so long, I had to listen to my mom defend the hell out of Cora," Blaine apologized, rolling his eyes. "Cora's got...issues, you know?"

Kurt nodded, relieved that Blaine hadn't noticed his snooping. Though he wondered what exactly Blaine meant by issues, he knew it wasn't his business, and therefore didn't press the matter.

"I brought something for your eye," Blaine held up an ice bag. "I figure my sister's idiocy made you a bit more self-conscious about it."

"As always, you're right. I had almost forgot about it...until that," laughed Kurt. Even though he was indeed uncomfortable with the way he looked, Blaine's presence made everything so much better.

"I'm not sure if it'll help much at this point, but maybe the swelling will go down a bit."

Blaine walked over to Kurt, taking a seat beside him on the end of the bed. He slowly placed his hand under Kurt's ear before sliding it to the back of his neck. Kurt warmed to the touch, feeling his heart rate accelerate rapidly. Blaine raised the ice bag, placing it on Kurt's injured eye. Kurt winced at the cold, and Blaine retracted his arm.

"Sorry," he mumbled, grinning sheepishly. Blaine moved himself closer to Kurt so that there was no more bedspread separating them before bringing the ice bag to Kurt's eye, more gently this time. Just the feeling of Blaine's leg against his own sent shivers up Kurt's spine. Blaine was an affectionate person. After all, the first minute Kurt had known him, Blaine had held his hand while bringing him to the Warbler's performance. For a reason Kurt couldn't put his finger on, however, this moment felt different. Blaine's hands were shaking ever so slightly, and his breathing, normally silent, was audible. Kurt's mind was foggy and he had lost all control of his body. His hands acted on their own accord. One placed itself overtop of Blaine's on the ice bag, his fingers interlacing themselves with his. The other moved to Blaine's knee, surprising Kurt himself. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Kurt was sure he knew what was coming next.

He was wrong. Blaine smiled weakly, moving the ice bag from Kurt's face to the floor and removing his hand from Kurt's neck. Kurt quickly backed away from him, mortified. He had been sure Blaine felt something for him. Despite making a deal with himself to not pursue Blaine, he'd done so, and now he was a fool again. Blaine coughed awkwardly, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"So, uh, do you want to watch a movie or something?" he proposed, grabbing the remote control from his bedside table and turning on the television. Kurt nodded, his eyes on the floor.

As the credits of Moulin Rouge rolled, the third movie they had watched that night, Kurt's mind was still focused on the unfortunate events hours prior. He couldn't believe that he'd even thought for a second that Blaine was interested. He was a fool for love, and past experiences could attest to this.

"Well, it's kind of late," Blaine yawned, getting up off the bed where the two boys had been awkwardly seated for the past few hours. He walked over to his dresser, grabbing a pair of plaid pajama pants from the top drawer. "Here, you can sleep in these if you want," he said, tossing them at Kurt. "They're not exactly fashion forward, but they're comfy."

"Thanks," Kurt smiled halfheartedly, grabbing them off the bed. As he picked them up, he couldn't help but notice that they smelled just like Blaine. Kurt felt his heart in his throat as he tried to forget how just much he liked that boy. Blaine pointed him to a room beside his, a guest room with a bed and a chest of drawers. Blaine gave him an awkward smile, turning to head back to his room.

Kurt nodded and closed the door. _How anticlimactic_. He shook his head. He knew he'd made a mistake, but he hoped his misinterpretation wouldn't ruin their friendship. He changed into the pajamas, almost acting on autopilot. His heart wasn't in his actions. He felt silly and embarrassed. He wondered what Blaine must have thought when Kurt placed his hand on his leg like that. He was so sick and tired of being rejected. He understood that every person he'd ever liked prior to Blaine had been straight, and therefore his hopes had never been exactly high. This time, however, he had felt a moment in which he had believed with all his heart and soul that Blaine felt something more than friendship for him. His other let-downs had been disappointing and painful, but it wasn't like this.

Deciding to wash his face, he opened the door, and was startled to see that Blaine was once again standing there. Kurt opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but before he could, Blaine had leaned towards him and kissed him softly on the cheek. The spot where Blaine's lips touched his cheek burned, and Kurt didn't know if his heart could take it. Without saying a word, Blaine turned on the spot and walked back to his room before he left the hall, Blaine turned and gave Kurt one last smile.

"Goodnight, Kurt." He disappeared into his room, leaving Kurt standing in the doorway, dumbfounded and breathless.


	6. Broken

**Author's Note: **I apologize for the lack of Blaine in this chapter! I promise he will return in the next. This chapter is definitely a bridge for what's to come, so if it seems a bit long-winded, that would be why. I'm excited to write everything that's to come! I hope you enjoy it and stick with me through this.

**Broken**

(Lifehouse)

_The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight_

_Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time_

_I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts_

_I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out_

_I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing_

_With a broken heart that's still beating_

_In the pain, there is healing_

_In your name I find meaning_

_So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on_

_I'm barely holdin' on to you_

_The broken locks were a warning, you got inside my head_

_I tried my best to be guarded, I'm an open book instead_

_I still see your reflection inside of my eyes_

_That are looking for a purpose, they're still looking for life

* * *

_

Kurt was trapped. He was lying flat on his back six feet below the ground. All he could see was a small circle of light above his head. It was so bright that he couldn't look directly at it without squinting. He tried to stand, but he was paralyzed. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the opening of the pit. It was Blaine. He was peering into the abyss, calling Kurt's name. The sound was muffled as if he was standing much farther away than he was. Kurt screamed out for him, begging him for help. Blaine couldn't hear him. Kurt's cries of despair grew more hysterical. Tears ran down his cheeks as he tried harder and harder to move, to escape, to make Blaine aware of his suffering. No matter what he did or how much he struggled, it was futile. The air around him began to constrict, and quickly he was unable to breathe.

Kurt awoke with a start, gulp for air. His eyes still closed, his breathing returned to a normal pace, realizing it had been a dream. Upon opening his eyes, however, he again gasped loudly. Sitting on the edge of the guest bed in which he lay sat Cora in a pink bathrobe, illuminated by the hall light shining through the open door, who was examining him quizzically.

"What are you doing?" he yelped as he sat up quickly, pushing himself against the backboard to get as far away from her as possible. I

"You're crying," she stated matter-of-factly in a hushed tone. His hand shot up to hastily wipe his cheeks. He counted himself lucky that the only thing real about his nightmare was the tears. It could have been a lot worse. He could have been screaming Blaine's name while his creepy little sister watched.

"Does your brother know you're here?" asked Kurt, who, knowing the answer, raised his voice to hopefully alert a slumbering Blaine to Cora's presence.

"No, so you have to be quiet," she instructed, clearly not comprehending that waking Blaine was Kurt's aim. Much to his dismay, she moved herself closer to him. "I'm sorry for the things I said to you."

Kurt was unbearably uncomfortable, but even in their dimly lit conditions, he could see that Cora looked genuine. Then again, all serial killers are able to at first trick their victims into believing they can be trusted. Perhaps it was the darkness or the fact that he was still rattled from his nightmare, but there was something eerie about Cora, and it wasn't just that she had snuck into where he'd been sleeping and watched him for God only knows how long.

"I don't know how to stop the things I'm thinking from coming out of my mouth," she shrugged. "Sometimes people think I'm hilarious, but mostly they hate me."

Kurt didn't know how to reply. Something about the look of dejection in her eyes made him feel for her.

"I don't...hate you," he sighed, not knowing quite what to say.

"Good," she smiled, seeming satisfied with his response. "Because I'd really like it if we could be friends."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. Somehow he doubted that.

"Sure," he replied, appeasing her in the hopes that she would go away. No such luck.

"What happened to your eye?" she questioned, jumping topics. She seemed to only become aware of the words she spoke after they had already left her mouth. "You don't have to tell me. It's just curious that you show up here to stay the night with what looks like a freshly blackened eye. I don't think it's a coincidence. Does your father beat you?"

Even when she was being abhorrently impolite, Cora spoke eloquently. It was a strange for someone so intelligent to be so completely unaware of social cues.

"No, no, no," Kurt quickly corrected her. "Nothing like that."

"I just thought maybe you told him you're gay and he didn't like it," she guessed, continuing to shock an already flabbergasted Kurt with the things she was willing to say out loud. "Wait, am I not supposed to talk about that?" She started to pound her fists against her forehead as she tried to remember.

Despite Cora offending him the night before, Kurt was beginning to see that there was something going on inside of her that she couldn't control; something that she was obviously uncomfortable with. It wasn't as if Kurt didn't have any idea how that felt. Placing his hands around her wrists, he gently pulled Cora's arms away from her skull.

"It's okay," he sighed. "If you must know, I was punched. There's someone at school who doesn't like me very much...or, likes me a whole lot, I'm still a little confused about that."

Cora looked pained by this revelation.

"Did you hit him back?" she inquired, turning to sit cross-legged on the bed, giving Kurt her full attention. "Did anyone see? Did he get in trouble?"

"No, no and no," he told her, giving in to the fact that Cora wouldn't rest until she got all the answers. Besides that, he was beginning to feel sympathy for her. She seemed well-intentioned. "And I came here because I didn't want my father to find out. He would make a big deal about it."

"But it is a big deal!" Cora interjected, horrified. "He hit you for no reason!"

"He had a reason, it just wasn't a good one," Kurt grumbled under his breath, but Cora didn't hear.

"Blaine used to get hit sometimes," she told Kurt, leaning closer, as if preparing to tell him a dark secret. "Did you know this used to be my room?"

Kurt was unsure how the two points were related, but he had given up trying to make sense of Cora's thought processes. He shook his head.

"Well, I used to sleep here and I could hear everything that went on in Blaine's room. When he got hit he would run up here, slam the door, and cry for the whole night," she told him, sadness in her eyes. "If he cried for too long I would go and knock on his door. He would let me in and I would put on a show for him. Then he would feel better."

"A show?"

"I would sing and dance and tell jokes," she explained. "I got quite good at it because he would cry for too long almost every night. Until the night he told me to leave him alone." Cora seemed unsure of how to proceed. Kurt opened his mouth to tell her she didn't have to continue, but she began to speak again. "He never told me to go away. It made me anxious. I couldn't tell our parents because I promised Blaine I wouldn't. It was our little secret, he said. We had lots of secrets. He never told mine, and I never told his. I didn't know what to do. I got really scared when he stopped making any noise. I called his name a few times but he never answered. So I called the police. I didn't want to live in this room after that."

This piece of information was upsetting to Kurt. Cora didn't have to continue for him to understand what had happened.

"He hadn't taken any of the pills. I don't know if he would have. Sometimes I pretend that it was all a big mistake; that he needed the pills for something and I misunderstood. Maybe if that was true I could understand why he doesn't love me anymore." Kurt again attempted to get a word in, but Cora wasn't finished. "Hey! I have an idea!" She hopped off the bed and ran out of the room.

The amount of information Kurt had taken in was astonishing, and he was having trouble making sense of it all. It was clear to him now that Blaine was trying to help Kurt fight a battle that he himself had almost lost. The thought of Blaine in that amount of pain broke his heart. He didn't know why the relationship between Blaine and Cora had decayed so rapidly, but he was sure that there was more to the story than what Cora was aware of. Kurt wondered whether he should ever tell Blaine what he knew. He guessed that knowing Cora had told him so much wouldn't do anything to strengthen their sibling bond. Perhaps it could be their little secret. His train of thought was interrupted by Cora, who returned with two large makeup bags in her slender arms. Kurt smiled. He regretted the way he had felt about her previously. It appeared they were more alike than he had originally thought. They both had lost their footing in the world, isolated for reasons they couldn't control, longing for someone to love them.

"I can teach you how to cover up that eye of yours," she told him, appearing proud to be of service.

"Trust me, when it comes to proficient use of makeup" Kurt corrected, "I'll be teaching you."


	7. Unwritten

**Author's Note: **Thank you all so, so much for the amazing reviews, I love you all. I didn't include a song at the beginning of this chapter because it's imbedded in the chapter. Enjoy! There is much to come after this. I'm so excited.

**Unwritten**

"Ta-da!"

Cora was making jazz-hands enthusiastically in front of Kurt as he debuted his perfectly made-up eye to an amused Blaine. Kurt held his palms under his eyes as if he was a spokesmodel on a game show, revealing a brand new car. Blaine applauded approvingly, laughing.

"Well done, Cora," he congratulated, clapping her on the shoulder. Kurt was glad to see that his impromptu bond with Cora had allowed Blaine to easily forgive her for the previous night.

"Thank you," she bowed deeply. "But I can't take all the credit. Kurt taught me a bunch of techniques that I was able to use to cover it up. He looks great, doesn't he?"

Blaine nodded, biting his bottom lip as looked Kurt up and down.

"He really does."

Kurt's face grew hot at Blaine's remark, he was thankful when Cora's rapid thought process took over and she changed the subject.

"I want pancakes," she mused, grabbing a hand of each boy and pulling them towards the stairs. Kurt's eyes met Blaine's again, who gave him a playful smile as the petite brunette pulled them down the steps and towards the kitchen. It had only taken a few moments of surprise on Blaine's part when he saw Kurt and Cora interacting before he'd been pleased to be a part of the fun. They reached the kitchen, where Cora proceeded to open every cabinet in the room in search of pancake mix. Blaine sighed, grinning at his eager sister, before assisting in the search. Kurt took a seat on one of the high stools beside the kitchen's island, watching the pair in amusement.

"It's not here, Blaine!" exclaimed a frustrated Cora. "I want pancakes!" She opened the fridge, grabbing the milk.

"Calm your raging hormones, darling, we can make them from scratch," Blaine reassured her, ruffling her hair with his hand. He beckoned to Kurt, who slid off his stool and followed Blaine to the fridge. On his way, he was handed a glass of milk which he accepted graciously. "I warn you, this is going to get messy. If there's one thing Cora can't do properly, it's cook."

"That and make friends!" laughed Cora, who was now sitting on the counter with a mixing bowl in her hands, kicking her legs against the dishwasher underneath. Kurt choked on the milk he was drinking, catching what he couldn't keep in his mouth in his hand, before running to the sink. Cora cackled with laughter, falling over so that she was laying across the island. Blaine rolled his eyes, placing all the ingredients he'd gathered on the counter before grabbing his sister and throwing her over his shoulder. She shrieked as she was spun in a circle and placed on the kitchen floor, as Kurt wiped his mouth with a cloth, highly amused. Blaine walked back to the counter, as a hysterical Cora rolled around on the tiles. Kurt joined Blaine, unable to wipe a smile off his face.

Suddenly, music was playing. Kurt and Blaine turned their heads to see that Cora had gotten up and skipped over to the stereo system that was in the living room, which was attached to the kitchen. Cora danced her way back into the kitchen, belting the lyrics out at the top of her lungs. Her voice was not as sweet as Kurt had expected it to be. It was deeper and soulful. It was unpolished, but a rough-around-the-edges sound was refreshing to him.

"_Staring at the blank page before you, open up the dirty window. Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find. Reaching for something in the distance, so close you can almost taste it. Release your inhibitions…_" she sang, shaking Blaine by the shoulders as he poured the flour into the bowl, causing him to spill all over the countertop. He threw some at her jokingly, but joined in the song. Kurt was beyond thrilled to listen to the siblings sing together, their voices blending seamlessly.

"_Feel the rain on your skin! No one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in. No one else, no one else, can speak the words on your lips. Drench yourself in words unspoken. Live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten._"

Blaine grabbed Kurt's arms and began to pull them back and forth, trying to force him into an awkward dance. Kurt reluctantly joined in, egged on by Cora who was spinning around them with the bowl of ingredients, mixing it as she did so. Soon, Kurt couldn't help but join in.

"_Reaching for something in the distance, so close you can almost taste it. Release your inhibitions. Feel the rain on your skin! No one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in. No one else, no one else can speak the words on your lips. Drench yourself in words unspoken, live your life with arms wide open today is where your book begins!_"

Blaine let go of Kurt and grabbed the bowl from Cora. He finished pouring in the rest of the ingredients as Cora took his place, dancing with Kurt. He spun her little body around as she giggled incessantly, still managing to sing the song between snickers. Kurt noticed that while he sang, Blaine was awkwardly thrusting his hips while stirring the pancake mix. He couldn't help but join Cora in laughter.

"_Feel the rain on your skin. No one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in. No one else, no one else can speak the words on your lips. Drench yourself in words unspoken, live your life with arms wide open. Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten!_"

As the song finished, Kurt was dipping Cora and Blaine was singing into the mixing spoon. They all caught a glimpse of what the other was doing and burst into uproarious laughter. As they did so, Blaine's elbow knocked the side of the mixing bowl, sending the batter flying on to the floor. There was a moment of silence. Kurt saw Blaine look up at Cora, expecting an outburst. From what he had learned about Cora in their short time together, he knew she didn't like many things. She didn't like cats, change, vans without any windows, but most especially, she disliked mess. They were both pleasantly surprised when she smiled.

"I'll clean it. Blaine, get your car keys. We're going to McDonald's."

* * *

Blaine, just relieved that Cora hadn't thrown a fit, had agreed to drive to McDonald's. They sat in the parking lot as Cora devoured chicken nuggets and a McFlurry, listening to Blaine's iPod through giant headphones.

"I had a lot of fun this morning," Blaine told Kurt. "I haven't had that much fun with my sister in...I don't even know how long."

"I'm glad," smiled Kurt. Cora was a sweet girl, and he wanted her to be happy. Even though he had just met her, he felt a protectiveness swooping over him. They had a lot in common. She wanted to be accepted for who she was, but there was a barrier between her and the rest of her world that she couldn't get rid of. At McKinley, there was a similar obstacle for Kurt. He couldn't control who he was, and he felt as if no one would ever truly accept him there, apart from his few friends. "If you don't mind me asking," he whispered. "What are her 'issues' exactly?"

Blaine turned around to look at Cora, who was swaying back and forth with her eyes closed.

"Hey, stupid, can you hear me?" he tested, wanting to see if she could hear. "Jake Gyllenhaal is right outside the car. Oh my god, if you don't look now, you'll never see him! He wants to marry you!"

No response.

"I think we're good," he laughed, returning to his original position. In a more sombre manner, he continued. "It took a long time to figure her out. She was misdiagnosed a lot, because these kinds of things are still difficult to understand. If the current diagnosis is right, she has a mild case of Asperger's syndrome, which affects her social interaction. She doesn't pick up on the social cues that most people can naturally. She has to try very hard to remember them, and it's just too difficult for her. She has weird interests that borderline on obsessive. As she probably told you last night, she hates messes and plenty of other things, but she has just as strong likes as she does dislikes. But she's great, she really is. She's very smart. Smarter than anyone I've ever met. She's just difficult to handle."

Kurt nodded, finally beginning to understand.

"I guess I just got fed up with her. She embarrasses me and she makes things extremely difficult," Blaine finished.

"But she saved your life."

The words left Kurt's mouth before he could stop them, and he regretted them the moment he said them. Blaine slowly turned his head to face Kurt, obviously shocked and upset that Kurt had any knowledge of the things that he'd been through. Kurt stared straight ahead, not knowing what to say. His heart raced and his face turned the brightest shade of crimson. He hated the hurt and disappointed way that Blaine was looking at him. After an agonizing few minutes of silence in which the tension could have only been cut with a powerful chainsaw, Blaine started the car.

"I'll take you home," he said, his voice quiet.

Kurt nodded, feeling horrible about what he'd accidentally revealed. He knew he'd ruined what had been a wonderful morning and, more importantly, a relationship between a brother and a sister that was only beginning to strengthen.


	8. Turn Me Over

**Author's Note: **This is getting back to Kurt's issues at school for a moment, and soon, probably in the next chapter, we will see the two story lines (Blaine's and Kurt's seperate issues) come together. This is a short little chapter, I know, but I have an essay due this Friday so my chapters will be less frequent and shorter until that's over. Don't expect another until Wednesday at the earliest.

Just to address some stuff from the reviews from last chapter: I worked with special needs children (including kids with Asperger's) when I was a camp counsellor, and one of my friends' younger brother has Asperger's, so that's my experience with it. I've done quite a bit of research, but if there's anything you as readers (some of whom have more experience than I do) feel should be addressed, please feel free to PM me. I want to make sure I'm as accurate as possible, which can sometimes prove difficult, as Asperger's is a spectrum disorder, so each child is different. I based Cora off of a few different kids, and added a bit of what I researched in there, such as the fact that females with Asperger's are less often properly diagnosed as well as having less aggressive tendencies when they're frustrated. They're more likely to withdraw, which is what Cora does in most circumstances. She has a mild case (like my friend's brother) so she doesn't have as much trouble with empathy. She still can't understand social cues, but will often look back on things she has said or done and be embarrassed about it. She has enough social awareness to know it's not acceptable behaviour, but not enough to stop herself. This is all based of my friend's brother, I'm not sure how often these descriptions fit someone with Asperger's, but through my research it doesn't seem too rare. If you have any concerns, please PM me. I'd love to know your opinions and get your feedback on this specific issue. Any other feedback can be PM'd to me or left in a review. I love you guys! Thanks for all your support!

Also, listen to the song. It's brilliant.

**Turn Me Over  
**(Andrew Austin)

_You turn me over on love_

_It's not like I need it_

_We haven't spoken in days now_

_Cause you don't care_

_That's what's probably is making me sad_

_You turn me over on love_

_It's not like you feed it_

_You used to come up in my room_

_But now you're not there_

_That's what probably is making me sad_

_Now that you turn me over on love on love

* * *

_

Kurt felt like a fish swimming upstream. His shoulders were constantly being knocked into by his passing peers as he navigated the halls of McKinley High. He despised returning to that place. Though his Saturday morning with Blaine and Cora had cheered him up significantly, he'd ruined it by opening his big mouth. He couldn't believe he'd said that to Blaine. Obviously that time in his life was dark, and he didn't like to be reminded of it. Cora had confided in him that piece of information because she couldn't stop herself in that moment. He'd betrayed her by inadvertently revealing to Blaine that she'd told him, and Kurt felt horrible about it. Blaine hadn't called him for the rest of the weekend, only texting him once halfheartedly to inform him that Cora missed him. Kurt theorized that Cora had bugged him the whole weekend to get Blaine to text him. In the back of his mind, he hoped that secretly Blaine wanted to contact him, but he doubted it.

Taking Mercedes' advice, whom he'd called the moment he got home, he'd chosen not to call Blaine. She told him it would make him look desperate, and that was the last thing he ever wanted. Unfortunately, not speaking to Blaine made him feel empty and alone. He hated to rely on someone like that, but he couldn't help it. Maybe if he had anyone else in his life who understood him at all, he wouldn't feel so pathetic. As helpful and sympathetic as Mercedes had been, it wasn't the same.

"Kurt, you okay?" Mercedes had joined him in the sea of apathetic teenagers, pulling him by the elbow towards her locker.

"I wish I could say I am," he sighed, leaning beside her as she got her books. "I miss him. God, it sounds pathetic when I say it out loud."

"You're not pathetic. He was good for you, I could tell. He still is, he'll come around," she comforted him. "If you don't mind me asking though, what exactly did you do?"

"I can't tell you," he shook his head. There was no way he could reveal the specifics to anyone else. "But let's just say I said something I shouldn't have."

"Well, you just have to wait for him to not be angry anymore, then you can call him and apologize."

Kurt nodded. He knew that she was right, but it was hard to accept that Blaine wouldn't be a part of his daily life for a while.

"I've got to go to math class. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Kurt waved goodbye to Mercedes, and as he did, he felt his body collide with the locker. He spun his head around, clinging his stinging shoulder, to see Kurofsky walking backwards away from him. He had his typical obnoxious grin on his face, but Kurt couldn't help but notice he seemed relieved. As Mercedes yelled expletives at Kurofsky as he disappeared around the corner, Kurt realized what he'd been looking at. Kurt had covered up his black eye, and thus covered up all evidence of Kurofsky's attack on him the previous week. He missed Mercedes' final goodbye as he was lost in his thoughts. He began to walk towards the bathroom, his pace slow but certain.

He knew what he had to do. It was either the stupidest or smartest idea he'd ever had, but either way, it was necessary. He entered the bathroom, placing his bag beside a sink. He unrolled a foot of toiler paper, folding it neatly. Staring at his face in the mirror, he ran the toilet paper under the warm water for a moment. Then, he began to wipe his injured eye, slowly removing the makeup that concealed his wound. He threw the toilet paper in the trash can before taking a final look in the mirror. His eye was a variety of colours, ranging from purple to yellow and everywhere in between. That meant it was healing, but it wasn't pretty. He didn't like how he looked, but if he wanted Kurofsky to leave him alone, he needed to wear his scars proudly. That's precisely what he was going to do.

* * *

"Oh my god, Kurt, what happened?"

Mercedes noticed first. The rest of the glee club quickly chimed in with similar expressions of surprise as he walked into the room, his bruised eye standing out. Mr. Schuester turned last, walking directly over to Kurt, who stood before them without any shame.

"Kurt, are you alright?"

"Yes," he replied, somewhat honestly. "I'm fine right now."

"What happened?" asked Mr. Schue, concern in his voice.

"I was attacked in the bathroom after school on Friday," Kurt finally revealed, addressing the entire group. "There were a million signs pointing to the fact that it was bound to happen eventually, but because everyone, including me, mostly ignored them, I am now left with this."

Everyone stared at him, not knowing how to respond.

"Who did this too you, Kurt?" pressed Mr. Schue, lowering his voice and gesturing towards the door, obviously implying they should speak in private. Kurt, however, had no such plans.

"If none of you can figure out through common sense who did this, then I feel there's no reason he should be punished, because frankly, that makes you no better than him."

The entire glee club was flabbergasted. Kurt had been suspiciously quiet the past couple of weeks, and though no one has seemed to notice, he wanted to make sure they noticed when he decided to speak up; and notice they did.

"It wasn't me, I swear!" defended Puck, holding his hands up in the air to emphasize his innocence.

"Of course it wasn't you, idiot," snapped Santana. "You were in my bed on Friday, remember?"

"Oh yeah," he replied, appearing to reminisce.

"I'm confused, who punched Kurt?" inquired a puzzled Finn.

"One time, I put tequila in the punch at a school dance," chimed in a dreamy Brittany. "But only because the leprechaun told me to. He lives behind my shed."

Kurt was displeased that nobody seemed to care about what he had just revealed. They were all so selfish. Only a moment ago they'd been shocked to see that he had a black eye and they had already switched to new topics.

"It was that baboon Karofsky, wasn't it?"

Kurt was surprised to hear Rachel speak. The room went silent, and all eyes were on her, including Kurt's.

"I've seen him terrorizing you for the past little while," she explained. "It was him, wasn't it?"

Kurt nodded wordlessly, his mouth slightly ajar. He was shocked and pleased that someone had truly been paying attention to him. Rachel, of all people. Maybe he had overestimated her selfishness. He still felt horrible, but Rachel's compassionate outburst warmed his heart slightly.

"Kurt, we're going to see Figgans. Come on," Mr. Schuester instructed, pulling Kurt out of the room, leaving the rest of the glee club still dumbfounded.

Kurt had a moment of pure ecstasy. He felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. To his horror, the moment was fleeting. Quickly, dread swept over him as he realized the hardest part was nowhere near over. The worst was yet to come.


	9. Two More Time

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much for bearing with me! My posting will be sporadic until Dec.7 when I'm done exams. I actually had to rewrite this chapter because Glee stole my ideas. Haha, but seriously, they ended up having a scene that was way too similar to a scene I wrote. It would have been boring and repetitive, even though in my fic, Sue is not principal. So I wrote this. I think it flows better, and I hope you enjoy it!

Also, not only do I have song lyrics for this chapter, I ask that you watch this video, which has the song in it. It's gorgeous. I guessed at the lyrics because they're not online anywhere. (I had to put some spaces in there to make it post, but you can just delete those)

www. youtube .com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ggsVPBfZiVw)

**Two More Time**

(Andrew Austin)

_Maybe there's a chance that if I dance with you tomorrow_

_You'll be more than just a friend_

_We'll end up sitting in a tree_

_And if I make those eyes at you,_

_Will your heart go up a size or two?_

_Will there be no more goodbyes from you?_

_Forever we will be._

_Two, two, two_

_Two, two, two more time._

_Only two, two, two_

_Only two, two, two more time._

_Or at least if I try, maybe you'll be mine.

* * *

_

Kurt straightened his tie as he peered at himself in the mirror. It was strange how quickly everything had changed. After Rachel had revealed that it was Karofsky who had attacked Kurt, Mr. Schuester had taken him straight to Figgins, who had called his father. As much as Kurt hated having his father involved, he was thankful for it now. Kurt wouldn't have been brave enough to say the things that his father had screamed in that meeting. Unfortunately, without solid evidence that it was Karofsky, who vehemently denied the attack, Figgins was only able to suspend him for harassment. Kurt was sure that if he'd brought up the sexual nature of each incident, things would have gotten more complicated. He'd kept his mouth shut. He knew what it was like to struggle with sexuality, and as much as he hated Karofsky, he couldn't in good conscious out him.

His father had been outraged. Kurt had never seen him so angry. He'd pulled Kurt from the school without hesitation. Before the night had come to a close, Kurt had become a student at Dalton Academy. It broke his heart to leave Mercedes and the rest of the glee club behind, but he knew he could no longer feel safe at McKinley High. To make matters worse, Blaine was still not speaking to him. He was sure his first day would be dreadfully uncomfortable, but he would choose the awkwardness any day over the perpetual fear he would no doubt go through were he to be at McKinley when Karofsky returned.

He sighed, examining himself. The uniform, red and a dark navy blue, were not particularly fashionable, though Kurt did enjoy a good blazer. Even though he wasn't able to express himself with his clothing choices during the school week anymore, the uniform felt safe and warm to him. Though the new jacket and pants were still stiff from their plastic wrappings, he had never felt more comfortable. A new uniform to match a new life, one without the constant fear of attack.

His father had offered to drive him on his first day, for which he was extremely thankful. Walking to his father's truck, bag in hand, his stomach began to turn and the nervousness set in.

"Don't worry," Burt told him, clapping his son on the back. "You'll be fine. No one's going to pick on you anymore."

"That's not what I'm worried about, but thanks," Kurt smiled weakly, walking to the other side of the car and hopping into the passenger's seat.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Burt asked hesitantly. Kurt laughed lightly, shaking his head. His father was talented at many things, and talking about feelings was not one of them. Kurt loved his father more than anyone in the world, and he had good intentions, but he knew how uncomfortable he still was with mushy things like emotions. Burt nodded, almost relieved, and put the key into the ignition. "Well, you've got your friend. Blaine, right? Is that his name?"

"Yeah," mumbled Kurt, as the truck backed out of the driveway. He hadn't told his father that he wasn't on speaking terms with Blaine. It would have just worried him even more. Kurt had made numerous attempts to text Blaine and tell him what had happened, but he had received no response.

"I'd like to talk about that with you, actually," Burt told him, reluctance in his voice. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "If you don't mind."

Kurt raised an eyebrow at his father.

"Well you two have gotten pretty close, and you slept over at this house, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do in these types of situations so-"

"Oh God, stop right now," interrupted Kurt, placing his hands over his face in embarrassment. To his horror, his father didn't stop talking.

"I don't like this conversation any more than you do, but it needs to be had," he continued, becoming flustered. "I know that you're going to want to do things-"

"Please, stop-"

"But I want you to be safe-"

"Oh my god, stop it!"

"So you need to use protection, okay? I know you might think it's not important because you can't get pregnant, but there are worse things-"

"For the love of all that is holy, STOP TALKING!" Kurt yelled, his face red with humiliation. He turned to see that his father's cheeks were exactly the same colour. His outburst had quieted Burt enough for Kurt to get a word in. "Blaine is my friend. That's it. I'm not dating him, I'm certainly not having sex with him." Burt winced a little. "Oh, I'm sorry, did _that_ make you uncomfortable?" he asked sarcastically.

"Frankly, Kurt, I don't want to hear about my child having sex, period. Man or woman."

Kurt was pleasantly surprised by his answer.

"Look, I just don't want anything bad to happen to you. He's older than you, you're a bit...vulnerable, is that the word?" Burt asked. Kurt shrugged in response. "Vulnerable. I don't want anyone to take advantage of you."

"Well, no one will. I don't think Blaine is interested," Kurt told his father, his heart sinking. There was a moment of silence as Burt took in his son's statement.

"But...you want him to be?" Burt questioned, trying to read Kurt's voice. He turned momentarily and saw the look of disdain on his son's face. He returned quickly to his forward position. "You know what? You don't have to tell me that." Father and son let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

* * *

As they arrived at Dalton Academy, Kurt's heart started to race. It was actually happening. The truck pulled up to the drop-off area where countless teenage boys in identical uniforms exited vehicles or parked their own cars. Burt noticed how nervous Kurt looked, and rubbed his shoulder sympathetically.

"You'll do great," he reassured his son, smiling, though he too appeared anxious. "Is that your friend?"

Kurt spun around to look out the window. Sure enough, Blaine was standing a few feet away from the truck, waving at Burt. His other hand was behind his back. Kurt was shocked, but couldn't help smiling widely. His heart rate sped up, but this time it wasn't because he was nervous about school.

"He's...handsome?" Burt offered.

"It's okay, Dad. You don't have comment on the appearances of men to bond with me," Kurt told him with a laugh, opening the door of the truck. "I think we're already pretty close." He got out of the car and made his way over to Blaine.

"Welcome to Dalton, for real this time," greeted Blaine with a smile. From behind his back he pulled out a single yellow rose, offering it to Kurt. Blood rushed to Kurt's face as he took it, nervously looking around to see who was watching. He noticed his father, still sitting in the truck, giving him an awkward thumbs-up. "Consider this a heartfelt apology," Blaine continued. "My mom grows every kind of rose that exists. This one means friendship and caring I think. I thought it was appropriate."

"Thank you," Kurt responded. "I thought you were still angry at me."

"I was a jerk," Blaine apologized. "I should never have gotten so upset. It wasn't your fault. I got all your messages, and I wanted to respond, but I thought I should tell you how sorry I am in person. Can you forgive me?"

"Already have," Kurt replied, relieved that things were back to normal between the pair.

"Good," Blaine smiled. He gestured towards the school. Kurt held up one finger to indicate he needed a minute, and ran back to his father's truck.

"Thanks, Dad."

"No problem. You need me to pick you up?"

"You know what?" Kurt looked at Blaine who was waiting patiently for him. "Maybe not. I'll call you." Burt gave him a suspicious look, to which Kurt scoffed. "Just friends, Dad! The rose means friendship."

"Whatever you say," he teased. "But no one I know brings their friends roses. Are you sure you two aren't married?" Kurt rolled his eyes, reaching into the window and pulling Burt's baseball cap over his eyes as an act of defiance. "Bring the boy for dinner tonight!" Burt called after his son as he ran back towards Blaine.

"What was that about?" laughed Blaine.

"My father is a buffoon," Kurt replied. "And he wants you to come for dinner tonight."

"He seems nice," Blaine told him, waving at Burt before leading Kurt towards the entrance to Dalton Academy. "I'd love to."

Kurt's stomach did a somersault. Suddenly he no longer cared whatsoever about starting at a new school. His anxieties were entirely focused on what was to come afterwards.


	10. A Diamond and a Tether

**Author's Note: **Thanks for bearing with me! Exams will be over soon enough and I will be posting more regularly. If I had to estimate, I'd say I've got probably around...6 chapters left. There's a firm end in sight. I've got two fics, both Klaine, planned for after this one, which I will let you all know about closer to posting them. One might end up being a sexual of sorts to this one. I just really like Cora and I don't know if her story will be touched upon enough in this fic for my satisfaction, so I might make the next fic a sequel. Anyways, hope you enjoy this!

**A Diamond and a Tether**

(Death Cab for Cutie)

_I've got this habit I abhor._

_When we go out I'm always watching the door._

_'cause if there's someone I'm gonna see_

_who could outdo the things you do to me._

_And I know you can't hold out forever_

_waiting on a diamond and a tether_

_from a boy who won't fly_

_but who will take to the skies if he thinks you are about to say goodbye._

_Pity, take pity on me._

_'cause I'm not half the man that I should be._

_And I don't blame you,_

_you've had enough,_

_of all these empty promises and countless bluffs._

_'cause I know you can't hold out forever_

_waiting on a diamond and a tether_

_from a boy who won't jump when he falls in love._

_He just stands with his toes on the edge_

_and he waits for it to disappear again.

* * *

_

Dalton was different from McKinley, in more ways than one. Firstly, Kurt blended in. That had never before been something he'd been able to do. Kurt stuck out in appearance and attitude at McKinley. Though still flamboyant in personality compared to many of the people he'd met that day, he no longer felt out of place. He could move through the throngs of his peers without attracting unwanted attention. Nobody shoved him or called him names. Though he was now a complete unknown, he did not mourn the notoriety with jocks and bullies that he'd lost, and instead reveled in his newfound anonymity.

Blaine had been nothing but a spectacular host, helping Kurt find his classes and introducing him to all his friends. It was during this day that Kurt realized that it was possible to have close male friends without them being secretly terrified of him being attracted to them. Blaine was as close with Wes and David as any person could hope to be with their friends. His sexuality wasn't an elephant in the room. In fact, they joked about it casually. Kurt wasn't used to such open and uninhibited lunchtime conversations.

"He didn't tell us why he'd changed schools, so we didn't know right away. I think I finally figured it out when I took his iPhone when he went to the bathroom once," explained Wes, who was regaling Kurt with Blaine's coming out story over pizza. "The background was a picture of Clay Aiken...naked." David burst out laughing as Blaine smacked Wes in the arm.

"That is such a load of crap!" Blaine protested. He turned to Kurt, defending himself. "I promise you, that's a lie."

"Okay, okay," Wes admitted. "It was a shirtless Zac Efron. Either way, that's when I knew."

"It took me a little longer. It was the gay porn at leadership camp that did it for me," joked David, as Blaine laid his head in his hands in embarrassment. "No, I'm kidding, I had no idea until Blaine told me."

"How did he go about telling you guys?" Kurt inquired.

"Well, he just sort of spilled one day. We were just talking about something stupid, I don't remember-"

"We were talking about whether you could send a cat to space successfully," David corrected Wes in a matter-of-fact tone. "You said they would need special cat spacesuits and I said it wasn't possible to begin with-"

"Doesn't matter," Wes cut him off, shaking his head. "Anyways, Blaine interrupted us. He looked all shaky and nervous. Then he just blurted out, 'I'm gay.'"

"It was both smooth and charming," chimed in Blaine, winking.

"We kind of stared at him for a moment. Then we went back to talking about space kittens," finished Wes.

"He repeated himself a few times like we hadn't heard," David told Kurt. "So eventually I just looked at him and said, 'So what?'. He seemed a bit confused, but I think he got the point that we didn't care, so he joined in the great space cat debate."

"They made me feel really comfortable about it," Blaine explained, sounding thankful. "Like it was no big deal, you know?"

Kurt nodded, smiling. Blaine was lucky to have them.

"Damn, I'm late for calculus," Blaine grabbed his books, waving David and Wes goodbye and giving Kurt's shoulder a squeeze. "I'll meet you at the front doors after school." With that, he ran towards his classroom.

"He'll meet you at the front doors, will he?" questioned David once Blaine had disappeared from view, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Kurt rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, he is so hot for you. And you know it!"

"David, don't ever use the phrase 'hot for you' again," scolded Wes, who then turned to Kurt. "But it's true. He hardly ever stops talking about you. It's obvious."

Kurt turned crimson as he shook his head, but he couldn't help but grin stupidly.

"No, we're just friends. He's just a nice guy."

"Yeah, Blaine's a real nice guy," David rebutted. "But he's extra special super nice to you. What does that tell you?"

Kurt shrugged, humiliated by the conversation. He grabbed his books, and waved the boys goodbye as he walked to his class, laughing at the kissing noises they made as he departed. They were silly boys, yet their insistence that Blaine had feelings for him had significantly brightened his already positive mood.

* * *

Kurt and Blaine were making a brief stop at Blaine's house so he could change before the two went to Kurt's for dinner. Cora had greeted them at the door, tackling Kurt in the biggest bear hug he'd ever received.

"Kurt! I missed you! Where were you all week? Your eye looks better. It's still a bit gross though."

A seemingly never-ending waterfall of words poured out of Cora as she followed to two to up the spiral staircase.

"I learned a new song on the piano, do you want to hear? I can sing it too. I need some help with the pitch, could you help me? Oh, I got some new clothes! Do you want to see?"

"Not right now, Cora," Blaine dismissed her. Kurt thought it was a little harsh, so he stopped walking for a minute.

"Next time I come over, I promise. We have to leave really soon," he explained.

She nodded, smiling sadly and giving him a hug.

"Come back soon then, promise?" she asked, then turned to Blaine. "Promise he'll be back soon, Blaine!"

"Fine, I'll bring him here again, just for you," he agreed, winking in Kurt's direction.

Cora seemed satisfied with this, so Blaine pulled Kurt towards his room. He closed the door behind them and made his way over to his drawer, pulling out piles of clothes, as if he was digging towards the bottom for something specific.

"I have clothes saved for times like this," Blaine explained with a mischievous grin. "Times when it is crucial I make an unforgettable impression." He made a sound of recognition as he found what he was looking for, pulling a plastic bag out of the bottom of his drawer. He turned, waving the bag at Kurt with a playful smile. "Jackpot."

"What's so special about it?"

"Oh, you'll see. You'll see."

Kurt was curious as to what kind of special outfit he had in there. He wondered about it as Blaine took off his blazer and tie, and began unbuttoning his dress shirt. He began to suspect that Blaine's dramatic build-up was all a clever ruse to keep Kurt paralyzed in anticipation, and that it was nothing more than a classy, business casual outfit in there.

"Hey, Kurt?"

Kurt's eyes shot up to Blaine, who was sliding his dress shirt off his shoulders. For the first time in his life, Kurt was in a boy's bedroom while said boy was shirtless. It was a big step, but Kurt barely thought on it. He was too busy staring in a mixture of admiration and surprise. Blaine didn't have a perfect body, in the stereotypical sense of the word - he wasn't an Abercrombie model with a flawlessly tanned, oily 8-pack. He was slim; toned, but not brawny by any means. He possessed an attractive quality that Kurt could not help being drawn in by. Perfection didn't apply to Blaine, in Kurt's mind, because he transcended it.

"Kurt, I'm going to be honest with you," Blaine began. Kurt focused on his face, nodding weakly as he waited with anxiety for what was to come. "I'm about to get naked. So maybe you could just turn around?"

"Oh. Oh!" Kurt spun around, embarrassed. He mentally smacked himself for failing to consider that his prying eyes may have made Blaine slightly uncomfortable. Then again, never had he stared at someone's body so much, at least in person. When in locker rooms and the like, Kurt was more uneasy than anyone else. He felt horrible for making anyone feel that way. He shook with anger at himself, both for the creepy way he perceived himself to have stared at Blaine, and for having to resist an urge to peek. Never in his life had he felt more disgust with himself.

Kurt was suddenly startled from his thoughts by Blaine, who had grabbed him by the sides. Kurt, who was unbearably ticklish, nearly fell over at his touch, which was evidently amusing to Blaine. He laughed, surprised by how dramatically Kurt reacted. Still, he proceeded to pinch Kurt's sides again. This time, Kurt tripped over his own feet while trying to escape and fell on the bed. Blaine leaned over him, biting his bottom lip, and Kurt's quickening heart rate indicated to him that something spectacular was about to happen. For a moment, Blaine lingered, before exhaling deeply and offering Kurt a hand.

"Come on, we'll be late for dinner."

Kurt felt his heart drop a little, but he nodded, taking Blaine's hand. As Blaine helped him up, Kurt noticed for the first time what Blaine was wearing. He had on grey pinstripe dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and an open vest in a darker grey. For a pop of colour, he had on a loose forest green tie. Kurt had no doubt Blaine would impress his family.

"By the way, I was screwing with you. That bag was empty. I just wanted to seem mysterious."

Kurt smirked.

"I totally called that one."


	11. Long Way to Happy

**Author's Note: **Though this fanfiction starts after "Never Been Kissed", I was always writing as if Burt and Carole were already married and the whole family was living together, the subject just never came up until now. I realized while writing it that I had never mentioned that Burt and Carole were married in my mind, which was a mistake on my part, but one that I'm sure you can forgive. I also want to say that this chapter was very difficult for me to write. This self-loathing is a side of Blaine that we know exists, according to Ryan Murphy, but that we haven't seen much of yet (and of course I invented the cause). So I had to do much of his characterization myself, and I wanted it to be perfect, so it has taken much longer than I anticipated. I really hope you enjoy.

**Long Way to Happy**

(Pink)

_Left my childhood behind_

_In a rollaway bed_

_Everything was so damn simple_

_Now I'm losing my head_

_Trying to cover up the damage_

_And pad out all the bruises_

_Too young to know i had it_

_So it didn't hurt to lose it_

_Didn't hurt to lose it_

_No but oh_

_I'll keep on rolling down this road_

_But I've got a bad, bad feeling_

_It's gonna take a long time to love_

_It's gonna take a lot to hold on_

_It's gonna be a long way to happy, yeah_

_Left in the pieces that you broke me into_

_Torn apart but now I've got to_

_Keep on rolling like a stone_

_Cause it's gonna be a long long way_

_Now I'm numb as hell and I can't feel a thing_

_But don't worry about regret or guilt cause I never knew your name_

_I just want to thank you_

_Thank you_

_From the bottom of my heart_

_For all the sleepless nights_

_And for tearing me apart yeah yeah

* * *

_

"Well, here we are."

Blaine and Kurt had been sitting in Blaine's car, which was parked in the driveway of Kurt's house, for many minutes before Kurt spoke, neither wanting to be the first to exit. For the first time, Kurt could see that Blaine was visibly nervous. He was alternating between rubbing his legs and tapping a beat on the steering wheel with his hands.

"I guess we should go inside."

Blaine didn't look too thrilled about that, and for once, it was Kurt's turn to comfort him. He unbuckled his seatbelt, moving himself closer to Blaine. Kurt place his hand on Blaine's shoulder.

"They'll love you," Kurt assured him.

It was strange, this role-reversal. Blaine, who Kurt previously believed to be the consummate vision of calm, was no longer so. It didn't sully Kurt's image of him. Instead, he found himself feeling closer to Blaine than ever. Kurt became felt his stomach flip as Blaine placed his hand over top of Kurt's. Any touch, any look from Blaine sent Kurt's heart into a frenzy. He didn't know how much longer he could take it.

Kurt didn't want to admit it to himself, but he wanted a kiss. Not just any kiss, but one that meant something, with someone he could have a future with. More important than this was that he wanted to be kissed by Blaine. Kurt had never felt strongly about anyone before, save for Finn which he now realized was nothing more than a childish crush. This was so different from anything he'd ever experienced. There was something deep and significant there, as much as it pained him to realize it. He didn't want to get hurt.

Maybe it was David and Wes brainwashing him, or maybe it was his wishful thinking, but he was sure he was not alone in these feelings. Blaine didn't look at everyone else the way he looked at him. Once in a while, Blaine would do something to confirm Kurt's belief, but it was never the kiss Kurt desired. Blaine had shifted closer to Kurt, shakily placing his hand on Kurt's knee. He was biting his bottom lip, as Kurt noticed he often did in situations such as this. He ran his hand up Kurt's thigh as his body moved so close to Kurt's that they were almost touching. Then, he stopped. He moved away slightly, removing his hand. He shook his head.

"I'm not going to kiss you, Kurt."

Kurt's heart sank. What had he done? Had he read the signals wrong? Had he made Blaine uncomfortable? Maybe Blaine just didn't feel anything at all for him. A million worst-case scenarios ran through Kurt's mind before Blaine spoke again.

"You had your first kiss taken by force. I told you it doesn't count, and I believe that, I do. It's just…" he trailed off, struggling for the right words. "If you want to kiss me, Kurt, then kiss me. It has to be your choice, when and where you want your first kiss. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm waiting for you."

Kurt stared at Blaine blankly. That was not what he had expected at all. For some reason, Kurt had never considered the possibility that he could be the one to make the move. All this time he'd been waiting for Blaine when Blaine had been waiting for him. It was both a comforting and terrifying notion to be the one in control. It felt like a lot of pressure. Blaine shifted awkwardly in his seat, alerting Kurt to how long they'd been seated in silence. He then opened the car door and left the vehicle, leaving Kurt to curse himself silently. _I should have kissed him_.

Kurt got out of the car and led Blaine to the door, still reeling from the revelations of the previous few minutes. Before Kurt could even reach for the key, the door was flung open to reveal Carole, who had the widest smile Kurt had ever seen.

"Hello! I'm Carole, Kurt's stepmom," she greeted Blaine enthusiastically, shaking his hand with fervor. Though he loved her, Kurt was embarrassed by her behaviour. She was acting like Blaine was his boyfriend, which Kurt was sure he'd made clear he wasn't. "I'm so happy you're here!"

"It's nice to meet you, Carole," Blaine replied, visibly taken aback by her zeal. "I'm Blaine."

"Oh, the pleasure's mine, believe me! Come in, come in!"

As she led Blaine into the house, she turned around and gave Kurt a suggestive wink after mouthing the words "he's cute", causing Kurt to groan with mortification and shake his head.

In the dining room, Burt was waiting for them. He stood as Blaine entered, extending his hand to him.

"Thanks for having me, sir, I'm Blaine."

"Call me Burt," he corrected, adjusting his baseball cap as he shook Blaine's hand.

"Right, Burt."

Finn, who was sitting at his regular place, waved to Blaine as he tried to discreetly shove a roll in his mouth. He wasn't too stealth, and Carole smacked it out of his hand before he was able to devour it.

"Greet your brother's guest, Finn!" she hissed as she put the roll back on his plate.

"Hey, I waved!"

"It's okay. It's nice to meet you," Blaine told him, taking his seat beside Kurt and across from Finn, who, now that everyone was sitting, began to gorge himself on the roast chicken Carole had prepared. As dinner began, Carole was the first to speak.

"So, Blaine, how long have you been at Dalton Academy?"

"Just a year before this one," he answered. "I had some problems at my old school."

"So wait, are you and Kurt...like...dating?" Finn asked, wide-eyed, as if he had just made an incredible discovery. Kurt could almost see the lightbulb go off in his head.

"Oh, Finn," Carole sighed, shaking her head.

"Finn, you should meet my sister. I think you two would get along," Blaine suggested, grinning as he threw a knowing glance to Kurt, who had to cover his mouth to stifle a laugh. Finn looked back and forth at the two boys, confusion on his face. Kurt could already tell that his own meet-the-parents dinner would be no less eventful than Blaine's.

* * *

"The teacher called me and told me to come get Kurt because he wouldn't stop crying."

Burt gestured wildly with his hands as he regaled Blaine and the family with Kurt's kindergarten exploits. He sat on his recliner as he did so, addressing mainly Blaine, who was seated beside Kurt on the couch, and Carole, who was leaning on the armrest of his chair. Dinner had passed by without an unbearable amount of embarrassment for Kurt, but as they were enjoying dessert in the den, Burt had taken it upon himself to make up for the lack of humiliation during the meal.

"So I drive to the school, and there he is, curled up in a corner, bawling his little eyes out," Burt explained. Blaine gave Kurt a patronizing glance as he mouthed "awwww" at him. Kurt buried his head in his hands as Burt continued his story. "I say, 'Kurt, buddy, what's the matter?' and he lifts his head, and his eyes are swollen and his nose is running, and he whimpers, 'Daddy, they wanted me to cover up my outfit.'"

The room's occupants, besides Kurt, burst into uproarious laughter. Blaine playfully shook Kurt's shoulders.

"Can you believe that? Turns out the teacher had tried to make him wear a smock to use the paints, and he wouldn't do it."

"Classic Kurt," nodded Finn, who sat on the floor beside the couch, as he shoved his last bite of cheesecake into his mouth.

"Kurt, you must have been so adorable," cooed Carole.

"Here, I have pictures!" exclaimed Burt, who pulled himself up to go look for them.

"Dad, no! No, no no," begged Kurt, extending a hand to signal he should stop. "No pictures, please."

"Come on, I want to see," teased Blaine. As Burt happy left the room to grab a photo album, Blaine took a peak at his watch. "Oh, look at the time! Damn, I didn't even realize. I should get going -"

As he hopped up to leave, Carole stopped him in his tracks.

"No, no. Have you seen the weather?" she asked, pulling back the curtains to reveal a blizzard in full force. "You're not driving in that. You can stay here."

"I - I don't have any of my things with me -" he started, taken aback by Carole's command.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. You can leave early tomorrow and swing by your house to grab your uniform before school."

"No, you don't have to-"

"We insist," Burt cut him off as he returned with an armful of photo albums, having heard the conversation from the other room. "It's not safe for you to leave now. Call your parents and let them know, alright?"

"Alright," Blaine reluctantly agreed, looking to Kurt for confirmation that he was okay with this. Kurt smiled to indicate his agreement, allowing Blaine to turn back to Burt and give a decisive nod.

"Now let me show you those baby photos!"

Kurt groaned in emotional agony and threw himself on the couch.

* * *

"No, I'm fine. I'm not hurt, Cora, I'm just not going to be at home tonight."

Though he felt like he was intruding, Kurt couldn't help but listen to the conversation Blaine was having with his sister over the phone as he paced the hall in front of Kurt's room. Every time Blaine passed by the opening, Kurt would inadvertently stare. There was something about Blaine wearing his spare pajamas that made Kurt's stomach do somersaults.

"I'm alright, I promise! Please don't cry, Cora. I'm with Kurt, okay? Kurt's here. What? No, you can't talk to him-"

It was at that point that Kurt stepped into the hall and grabbed the phone from Blaine.

"Cora? It's Kurt," he began. He could immediately hear that Cora was in emotional distress, her sobs echoing out of the receiver and into his ear. "Cora, we're alright. It's snowing a lot outside, okay? Blaine can't drive home so he's staying at my house."

"You promise?" she whimpered, choking on her words.

"I promise. I'm going to give the phone back to your brother now."

A look of sincere gratitude in his eyes, Blaine took the phone back from Kurt and spoke to his sister.

"Are you okay? Good. Go to bed, okay? Promise me you'll sleep. Okay, goodnight Cora, I love you. Bye." Hanging up the phone, Blaine, sighing with relief, turned to Kurt. "I'm so sorry about that. Thank you."

"It's not a problem."

Kurt smiled as the two returned to his room, where piles of sheets and an air mattress lay, ready to be set up.

"Has she always been like that?" Kurt inquired gently as he wrestled with a blue and green striped bedspread in an attempt to put it on the air mattress. Blaine, noticing his struggle, took the other end and helped him.

"Sort of, but it's been worse recently," Blaine admitted as he prepared a matching pillowcase to be filled. "I think it's more than the Asperger's now, but I don't know. Ever since that whole...incident," Blaine told him, referring to his suicide attempt - or almost attempt. Kurt still was unclear on that, as Blaine had refused to talk about it until this moment. "Well, she's been more anxious. If I'm gone for too long, she thinks I'm dead. She gets so convinced of it that I have to call her so she'll hear my voice and believe I'm okay. She even makes me answer some weird riddle so that she knows it's me and that I'm not in danger."

"She really loves you so much." Kurt knew this to be true. Cora wanted nothing more than to be loved endlessly and unconditionally by her brother, and she'd saved his life, even if Blaine appeared to not appreciate it. "I think what you did really traumatized her."

"I know," Blaine nodded sadly, sitting on the edge of Kurt's bed as Kurt finished setting up the air mattress. "I feel awful about it, I didn't want to hurt her."

Kurt hesitated for a moment before seating himself beside Blaine, his heart racing for the question he was about to ask, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"What exactly did you want?" he implored, his voicing cracking.

"I...don't know," Blaine answered after a moment. "The pain to stop, I guess." Upon seeing Kurt's concerned expression, he clarified. "I don't know if I would have tried anything. I probably wouldn't have. I still don't know, and I frankly don't want to."

Kurt nodded. He could understand that, for he didn't really to know either. Thinking about Blaine in that much emotional distress made him feel dizzy and sick to his stomach. There was one thing, however, that he couldn't help but wonder. He was sure he would regret asking, but his curiosity was eating him up inside.

"Did what you did - almost did - have anything to do with your friend? The blonde boy I saw on your wall?"

Kurt knew the answer before Blaine opened his mouth. Blaine's features dropped, his eyes narrowing and his cheeks turning crimson. His face conveyed the saddest anger Kurt had ever seen.

"I'm sorry, don't answer," Kurt retracted his question. He slid closer to comfort Blaine, who stood up before he could, leaving Kurt's hand lingering in midair. He paced towards the door, and for a moment, Kurt though he was going to leave. He opened his mouth to protest, but finally, Blaine spoke.

"No, you need to know. But you have to let me finish before you say anything, okay?"

He turned around, and Kurt could see that he was fighting tears. He put his hands behind him and steadied himself against Kurt's desk. Kurt nodded in agreement, and Blaine began, facing the wall so he wouldn't have to look Kurt in the eye.

"I wish I could tell you this in a way that wouldn't ruin your image of me, but I can't. I regret everything. I want to take it all back, but I can't do that either. So, it is what it is."

The more Blaine prefaced his story, the more frightened Kurt was about what he'd reveal.

"His name was Mitch, and we were best friends when we were younger. He was my first crush, but I never would have dreamed of telling him. I wasn't sure what I was feeling, but I knew I could never say it out loud. Anyways, as we got older we grew apart. I played sports, but I never hung out with your typical bone-headed jock types like he did. What few friends I had were girls, but Mitch made sure that wasn't misconstrued as me being a player or something. In ninth grade he started to make fun of me, call me names, push me in the halls. Well, you know the deal," Blaine acknowledged. "Then everyone joined in. It got pretty bad, but nothing I couldn't shake off. Then, one night, I went to a birthday party. A lot of the kids were older, so they were drinking, going a little crazy. Mitch showed up, so I tried to sneak out the back. He followed me, alone, to the basement where he cornered me. I thought for sure he was going to kill me."

Kurt didn't like watching Blaine relive what was obviously his worst memory. The pain in his eyes cut Kurt deeply.

"He didn't though. He kissed me. I was shocked, and I was scared. Here he was, a guy who normally wanted to make my life a living hell, kissing me. You know the deal there, too. But this was different. I had always had feelings for him. It was stupid and irrational. I should have pushed him away."

"You...didn't?" Kurt's heart raced. He could see where this story was headed, and he didn't like it.

"No," Blaine shook his head, his voice cracking. "I kissed him back. Looking back on it, I could have stopped everything that night by pushing him off. I regret it every single day."

Blaine moved from the desk to Kurt's rocking chair.

"We started a sort of...relationship, if you can even call it that. In private, that is. At school, he would treat me the same as always. Even worse than usual, in fact. The more intense our relationship outside of school became, the worse he treated me in front of everyone. And I let that happen. I let him push me into the lockers. I let his friends kick the crap out of me after school. I let them harass me all day," Blaine looked at Kurt, his eyes pleading as they welled with tears. "I was weak. I was desperate for someone to love me. I did whatever he asked."

Kurt felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"He told me he loved me. That was enough; those three stupid little words were enough to keep me going along with the charade." Tears were now running slowly down Blaine's face as he clenched and unclenched his fists rhythmically in his lap. "I thought I was in love with him. One day, I tried to tell him so, in a whisper, at school. He slapped me across the face. I remember, that was the day I told him it was over for the first time. All it took was him to say those ridiculous, meaningless words, and I was his again."

Blaine wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"A year I put up with this. A whole damn year. I couldn't take it anymore. I decided to come out. In my idiotic, lovesick heart I though maybe it would be okay; that he would realize it was all for the best and come out with me. I, as always, was wrong. He didn't. He was furious that I had ruined his only source of sex, which I realized then was the only thing I'd been good for to him. He and his friends were relentless after that. They broke two of my ribs."

Kurt was breathing quickly, wanting to wake up from the nightmare he was surely in. This wasn't the Blaine he thought he knew. The man behind the curtain was someone so much different than what he had anticipated. Kurt had assumed Blaine was only slightly more experienced in the relationship department than himself, yet here he was, confessing to have had a sexual relationship with a bully. The idea made Kurt want to vomit. Blaine could sense how sickened Kurt was with him, and hastened to try and explain himself.

"Obviously I couldn't hide that from my parents. I begged to transfer schools, and they let me. But I was disgusted with myself. I couldn't get clean, no matter what I tried. I wanted the pain to go away and that's when I…" he trailed off. "Sometimes I wonder if she wasn't supposed to called the police; if maybe I'm supposed to be dead. I don't deserve any of the amazing things that have happened to me since then - going to Dalton, joining the Warblers," Blaine moved back to the bed, reaching for Kurt's hand. "Meeting you." Kurt pulled away, blood rushing to his head as he quickly stood. He couldn't be near Blaine. He felt queasy.

"I...I can't believe this…" mumbled Kurt, shaking as his disgust was replaced by anger. He turned to face Blaine, pointing his finger in accusation. "How could you? All this time you were giving me advice on being bullied like you had some sort of meaningful experience, but all you did was sleep with your Karofsky!"

Kurt was overreacting. Deep down, he knew that Blaine regretted what he'd done, and that the Blaine he felt so strongly about was not the same one who had done the things he was describing. Yet, Kurt was unable to shake the sickening feeling he got when he imagined Blaine with someone else. It was an inappropriate knee-jerk reaction, to be sure, but one that seemed reasonable to Kurt at the time.

"It was a mistake!" Blaine defended, trying to hold back tears. "I was stupid!"

Kurt didn't answer. He had run out of words. Throwing back the covers of his bed with force, Kurt crawled in, turning away from Blaine. After a moment of abject silence, Kurt could hear Blaine shuffle to turn off the light before lying down on the air mattress.

The darkness encompassed Kurt as he lay in the bitter silence. It squeezed his heart, suffocating him. In the privacy that the blackness provided, Kurt allowed himself to cry. It wasn't at all the like the tears he had shed over Karofsky's abuse, and it wasn't like the sobbing of a fractured soul that he'd experienced over his mother's death. These were tears of shattered hope.


	12. Whatever it Takes

**Author's Note: **Exams are almost done, thanks for sticking with me! This is the second last chapter, I hope you all enjoy! It's rather short because I decided to split the last chapter into two parts. So consider this...the beginning of the end, DUN DUN DUN.

**Whatever it Takes**

(Lifehouse)

_A strangled smile fell from your face_

_It kills me that I hurt you this way_

_The worst part is that I didn't even know_

_Now there's a million reasons for you to go_

_But if you can find a reason to stay_

_I'll do whatever it takes_

_To turn this around_

_I know what's at stake_

_I know that I've let you down_

_And if you give me a chance_

_Believe that I can change_

_I'll keep us together whatever it takes_

_She said "If we're gonna make this work_

_You gotta let me inside even though it hurts_

_Don't hide the broken parts that I need to see"_

_She said "Like it or not it's the way it's gotta be_

_You gotta love yourself if you can ever love me"_

_I'll do whatever it takes_

_To turn this around_

_I know what's at stake_

_I know that I've let you down_

_And if you give me a chance_

_And give me a break_

_I'll keep us together, I know you deserve much better_

_But remember the time I told you the way that I felt_

_That I'd be lost without you and never find myself_

_Let's hold onto each other above everything else_

_Start over, start over_

_I'll do whatever it takes_

_To turn this around_

_I know what's at stake_

_I know I've let you down_

_And if you give me a chance_

_and believe that I can change_

_I'll keep us together whatever it takes

* * *

_

Kurt awoke feeling empty. He had what could only be called an emotional hangover. His head throbbed as the events of the previous night rushed back to him. He was overcome by guilt as he relived it, coming to a painful recognition of his overreaction. In his tempestuous stupor, he'd lashed out at Blaine in fury instead of expressing his feelings appropriately. It wasn't Blaine he was angry at, after all. It was the circumstances of his past that infuriated him. It enraged Kurt that Blaine had been treated so horribly. After all, Blaine had just been a confused, lonely boy, and Mitch had taken full advantage of that. The hurtful things Kurt had said to Blaine echoed in his mind, each one like a painful electric shock to his heart. He spun over in his bed, ready to throw himself at Blaine's feet and beg forgiveness. With pain like salt to an open wound, Kurt saw that the air mattress was empty.

Scrambling out of bed, Kurt rushed down stairs, poking his head into every room in the hopes that Blaine had just woken up early. His hope faded with every look.

"He left, dear."

Carole was leaning against the doorframe that separated the kitchen and the living room, cradling a cup of coffee with look of sympathy on her face. Her facial expression gave Kurt no comfort.

"I heard him sneak out early this morning," she told Kurt, walking towards him as she offered him the mug. "What happened?"

"I happened," he groaned, accepting the drink. "My emotions are out of control. I said some things I shouldn't have...again."

"Again?" she questioned, taking a seat on the couch and motioning for him to join her. He did so without any reluctance. Carole was something of a confidant. He trusted her advice and valued her attentiveness.

"The first time, I talked about something that was really sensitive and he got upset. Last night, it was the other way around. He spilled his soul to me...and I yelled at him," Kurt lowered his head in shame. "What he told me really bothered me, but I attacked the wrong person."

"You displaced your anger, it happens," she told him, rubbing his shoulder in comfort. "You have to apologize."

Kurt knew what needed to be done, but he feared things with Blaine had been effectively ruined. How was he to face Blaine after what he'd done? He had ultimately blamed Blaine for the abuse he'd suffered at the hands of Mitch, when it truth, it wasn't and never could be his fault. He hadn't asked for that to happen. Blaine had never told anyone the whole truth, and when he finally mustered the immense courage it took to do so, Kurt had reacted in the worst possible way. Kurt fought the urge to beat his head against the wall.

"Where's a time-traveling DeLorean when you need one?" Kurt pouted, leaning his head against Carole's shoulder, who took him in her arms and stroked his hair.

"In Back to the Future, where it belongs," she replied. "I know life is hard, pumpkin. Get a helmet."

Kurt chuckled, hugging his stepmother before pushing himself into a standing position. She had a way of making him feel better no matter the circumstance, even if the mood lift was temporary.

* * *

Blaine did not answer texts or calls that morning. Kurt tried relentlessly, but even as he pulled up to the front of Dalton, Kurt still hadn't reached Blaine. Sitting motionless in his parked car, Kurt allowed himself two minutes of uninterrupted tears before forcing a calm demeanor and entering the school.

Inside, he found no comfort. Wes and David hadn't heard from him. Blaine didn't attend any of the classes they had together that morning. No one in the Warblers seemed to know where he'd disappeared to. As time passed, Kurt grew more anxious. This was uncharacteristic for Blaine. In his time at Dalton, Blaine had never missed a day, and now here he was, nowhere to be found. Kurt could not help but feel his heart sink into his stomach whenever his mind wandered to the worst case scenario against his will. He tried to remind himself how unlikely it was, and that Blaine was probably fine, but the more he told himself not to think about it, the more recurrent the idea was in his mind. The uncertainty ate gnawed at him, twisting his stomach to the point of physical pain. Unable to focus on anything except his unwavering need to find Blaine, Kurt decided to skip the afternoon and act on the only impulse that seemed reasonable at the time. He needed to find Cora.

He didn't want to worry the poor girl, but he knew that if she was unable to locate him, Blaine was in danger. Blaine never went anywhere without informing his sister of his whereabouts. He knew how emotionally unstable Cora was, and even if it was simply a case of wanting to skip school, Cora would know about it. The problem was, Kurt had no idea how to find her. Though luck had not been on Kurt's side, things took a fortunate turn as the bell brought Ancient Civilizations to a close.

"You're not alright, Kurt."

It was a statement, not a question, that left David's mouth in a matter-of-fact tone. Blaine's best friends had sandwiched Kurt in the hall as he dragged his feet to chemistry class, David taking his left side and Wes taking his right.

"We're worried too," chimed in Wes. "He doesn't miss school very often."

Kurt didn't doubt their concern, but he knew they were unaware of Blaine's complex past and therefore could not completely understand the dread that had a firm grip on Kurt's heart.

"Is there anything we can do?" David asked gently, stepping in front of Kurt so that the three stood still in the hallway.

"Maybe," he replied, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip nervously. "Do you know what school his sister goes to?"

"Sure, Sutton Academy. It's Dalton's sister school, about a mile south down the road," Wes told him, tossing a confused glance to David. "Why?"

"No reason."

Kurt shrugged off the question, choosing not to explain. Instead, he walked around the two boys who still stood stationary in the corridor. They only turned their heads to follow Kurt with their eyes as he rushed out of the school.

* * *

Sutton Academy, though different on the outside, was incredibly similar to Dalton on the inside. It was obvious that they had been both designed and decorated at the same time by the same people. The main difference was that Sutton was filled with teenage girls. The uniforms were in similar style to the Dalton clothing, only slightly more feminine and accented with blue instead of red. They wore grey pleated skirts or dress pants paired with black fitted blazers with blue trim. Some wore ties, but it seemed to be an optional accessory. Regardless, Kurt stuck out more here than he had as a spy at Dalton. He was almost immediately approached by a gangly teacher with wiry brown hair and rectangular glasses.

"You're from Dalton, I presume?" she asked, and although she was smiling, her tone expressed concern. "Can I help you with something?"

"Uh, yes," Kurt replied, uncomfortable in his surroundings. "I'm looking for Cora Porter. She's a freshman."

"Ah, yes. I know her." The teacher's voice gave Kurt the impression that her interactions with Cora had been less than pleasant. "What is your relationship to Ms. Porter?"

Kurt opened his mouth to reply but no sound came out. He suddenly became very aware of how inappropriate it was for him to be there. He was nothing to Cora. He wasn't family. For all this woman knew, he could be some sort of psychotic kidnapper. He now thought his decision to drive there instead of attending chemistry class had been foolhardy indeed. He toyed with the idea of turning his heels and making a run for it, but a voice stopped him.

"He's my brother's boyfriend."

The teacher and Kurt turned around in unison to see Cora standing behind them, clutching her books in her arms. After shifting her school supplies into one arm to give Kurt a hug with the other that he was too shocked to properly respond to, she stepped in between him and the teacher. Though she was significantly shorter than Kurt, she stood in front of him protectively as if trying to shield him from the harsh woman's gaze. The glare on her face let Kurt know that the negative feelings the woman had for Cora were mutual.

"Well," she replied, scandalized, her lips pursed in defiance. The woman looked Kurt up and down, her thin eyes boring into him. He stared back, unflinching, until she finally walked away, her heels tapping rhythmically against the tile floor.

"Sorry," Cora apologized, turning to face Kurt. "We may have a zero-tolerance bullying policy, but we can't put a zero-tolerance rule on judgmental bitch. She never says anything rude, but you can just tell, can't you?"

Kurt nodded, still not sure how to feel about Cora referring to him as Blaine's boyfriend. Up until that point, he hadn't even been sure if their family was aware of Blaine's sexuality.

"Have you come to tell me that Blaine is okay?" she asked, interrupting his train of thought with more pressing matters. Her tone was uneasy. She was looking to Kurt with expectation as his heart sunk into his stomach. How could he possibly tell her that he had no idea where her brother was? "He came home this morning, took a box of stuff from his room. He put it in the car and drove me to school. Then he took the box and walked into the woods. He told me not to follow."

Kurt's eyes widened.

"What woods?" he questioned, taking Cora gently by the shoulders to illustrate the importance of the question. "Show me exactly where he went."

Cora nodded and took Kurt's hand, dragging him out the front doors of Sutton Academy and down the steps. There, she stopped and pointed to a forested area that was situated between Dalton and Sutton.

"It's separates the two schools," Cora explained. Kurt remembered driving passed it, but in his flustered state hadn't registered its existence. "Blaine is okay, isn't he?"

"I'm going to go check on him," Kurt told her, trying his best to sound cavalier. The last thing he wanted was for Cora to be as petrified as he now was. "I'm sure he's alright. I'll go get him." He desperately hoped for his words to be true. His mind raced as he waved goodbye to a visibly shaken Cora and ran towards the forest.


	13. Body in a Box

**Author's Note: **Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this story. It has been a pleasure writing for you. I have a lot planned for the future in terms of Glee fic (mostly Klaine), so please please, please add me to your Favourite Authors and Author Alert so you can watch for new fics shortly. I really hope you enjoy this. I would very much like to revisit this canon in the future. I could write an entire novel about Cora, so I hope I can work with her character again. She is so much deeper than I was able to show without removing the fan from fanfiction. Please leave me your comments, I would love to know what you think. I appreciate every person who has read this. Thank you, and keep looking out for new stories.

**Body in a Box**

(City and Colour)

_We celebrate the lives of the dead,_

_It's like a man's best party, only happens when he dies._

_We gather 'round to pay our respects,_

_While their souls are still searching for the light,_

_Searching for the light._

_So please don't come to me on my dying day,_

_Just let me go in peace._

_With all the things that I forgot to say,_

_Racing through my mind._

_And don't you bury me six feet under ground,_

_Just burn my body in a box._

_And let my ashes blow with the wind,_

_Out into the night sky.

* * *

_

Kurt had never been the most athletic of boys. He'd climbed a tree or two in his childhood, but there was no doubt that he'd preferred playing make-believe with his stuffed animals to rolling in dirt, unlike the majority of his gender. Yet for the short amount of time he'd spent on the McKinley football team, there was one thing he'd discovered about himself: he was a shockingly fast runner. Sport had never inspired too much effort from Kurt. He'd tried, to be sure, and he was fast. He had never been compelled to push himself like he was as he raced through the forest. The speed he was traveling at to find Blaine eclipsed his previous records. Kurt had something worth running for.

Thoughts of a thousand kinds flowed through his mind as he ran, low-hanging branches catching on the sides of his blazer. He ignored them, not paying attention to the state of his apparel. He had more important things to be preoccupied with. He begged for Blaine to be safe. He began to make mental bargains in his mind. If the universe allowed Blaine to live, he would give up every vice he had. He would never again bite his fingernails. No more finishing off his dad's beer when he wasn't looking or when he'd fallen asleep in front of the football game. Kurt would give up his car, his wardrobe, everything material he had. He needed Blaine to be okay.

Following the beaten trail, Kurt slowed as he spotted a moving figure between the trees. Not wanting to startle him, Kurt approached with caution. He saw that Blaine was at the edge of a cliff that dropped into the creek that ran through the east end of Westerville. Kurt's heart skipped a beat when his eyes locked on Blaine's panicked expression. He looked more disheveled than usual. His hair wasn't gelled and he wore a beige jacket, aplain white v-neck and jeans. He paced back and forth, running one hand through his curls and clenching the other into a fist that he was swinging like a pendulum. Kurt moved slowly, pushing branches out of his way as he left the path and approached Blaine.

"Blaine?" he called out gently. Despite his hushed tone, Blaine whipped around, frightened, backing up. Kurt's arms shot up to signal for Blaine to stop. He was dangerously close to the edge, and it was terrifying to Kurt. His heartbeat pounded his chest and reverberated in his eardrums.

"What are you doing here?" Blaine asked weakly. As he faced Kurt for the first time, Kurt could see that he'd been crying. His eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks were stained with tear lines. Kurt lifted his leg to move closer, but Blaine raised his hands in defense. "Don't come closer. You should leave now."

"Blaine, I'm so sorry," spilled Kurt, his words quick and jumbled as he tried to quickly confess the guilt he felt. "I shouldn't have said those things! I was wrong!"

Blaine stared at him for a moment, his guard still up.

"Please, just go! I don't want you seeing me like this," he begged, his eyes pleading more than his words ever could.

"Blaine, please," Kurt stepped closer. Deciding Kurt was sincere, Blaine lowered his arms, allowing Kurt to move towards him. Blaine turned and sat against a tree a few feet from the edge. The box Cora had spoke of lay beside him.

"No, you weren't wrong at all. I'm horrible," he mumbled. "You just confirmed what I've always known."

"It's not your fault. You didn't want that to happen."

"But I didn't stop it, did I? I allowed myself to be used. I accepted it. I might as well have been beating myself up."

Kurt shook his head. He realized that when he had yelled at Blaine the other night, he verbalized the negative things Blaine had thought about himself. It was debilitating enough to think those things himself without having them confirmed by someone he cared so much about. Kurt wanted to heal the wound he'd obviously created, but he wasn't sure how. He made a movement with his hand towards Blaine, but stopped, letting his hand ball up into a fist as he let it drop like an anchor to his side.

Blaine stood up quickly, producing a knee-jerk reaction in Kurt to reach out and grab him. Kurt couldn't shake the fear that Blaine was going to do something to hurt himself. "I need to do something. Maybe it's better that you're here. You should see."

Blaine reached down, grabbing the Converse shoebox, holding it in front of him.

"In this box is everything that reminds me of Mitch. I should have thrown it all away ages ago. Yet here it is. I've been here since this morning, trying to get the courage to toss it, but I can't let it go. I'm weak," he spat out with disgust. His voice shook with anger, but his fury was directed internally, which frightened Kurt more than outward anger ever could. Kurt was, however, relieved at his motives. He didn't want to hurt himself, or at least that wasn't his main goal. Kurt stepped closer, taking Blaine's free hand in his own.

"You told me something last night that you'd never told anyone. I can imagine how hard that must have been for you. You had to relive it all over again. You're anything but weak, Blaine. You're the strongest person I know."

Kurt was not used to being in the role he was now playing. Seeing Blaine so vulnerable was unsettling, but he knew now was not the time to run. Blaine needed him at that moment, and Kurt would not let him down again.

"You can learn from what happened like I know you have, but the past belongs behind you. You have to let it stay there. You taught me that."

Blaine turned to face the cliff, the wind pushing his dark hair into his eyes. Still holding Kurt's hand, who shifted to stand beside him, he placed the box on the ground, pulling out the photograph from his wall. He stared into this younger, pimpled self, his expression one of pity. The boy in the photograph had yet to experience the horrors of abuse, and Blaine would never again know that joy. His eyes moved to Mitch, and Blaine's features tensed with anger. Staring into the eyes of someone who had caused him so much pain made his body shake, but Kurt squeezed his hand, keeping him steady.

"Courage, Blaine," Kurt whispered, letting go of Blaine's hand as he took a step back.

"Courage," he mumbled in return.

With that, he began to rip the picture to pieces. His motions started slowly, but increased in speed as he grew visibly angrier. He screamed at the boy in the picture, told him how much he hated him, cursed his name, tears streaming down his face. Kurt watched in pain, knowing he could do nothing for him but let him release his pent up emotions. Soon enough, there was nothing left for Blaine to rip. He watched the wind pick up the scattered pieces of his broken memories and carry them away. The two boys stared in silence, mesmerized by the dance the bits of paper did in the breeze before being swept away by the creek.

Blaine inhaled sharply, allowing himself to breath properly. Kurt stepped forward and saw that Blaine was smiling even as tears rolled slowly down his cheeks. He was finally free. Kurt flung his arms around Blaine's neck, and felt Blaine's arms wrap around his waist in return. Unlike any hug he'd ever had or given, there was a desire behind this that he had never experienced. He longed to hold Blaine and to be held in return. Fulfilling his desire, they were holding each other, tears of loss and relief flowing from both of their eyes.

As Blaine backed away from the hug, Kurt, his judgement compromised, acted solely on impulse. Leaning down ever so slightly, he pressed his lips against Blaine's. He could feel his heart beat in his skull as Blaine pulled their bodies together with enthusiasm. Blaine's lips, soft to the touch, moved with Kurt's. Kurt's head was spinning. He had never felt such elation and such relief, to finally express the longing he felt to be close to Blaine. His fingers became entwined with Blaine's curls as Blaine slid his hand up Kurt's back. Though the wind chilled their bodies, their mixed breath was warm, heating Kurt's face the point where small beads of sweat began to form on his brow.

They broke apart, Kurt's face flushed red with embarrassment, which Blaine quietly dismissed, running his fingers along Kurt's neck, sending a shiver down his spine. He could see that Blaine too was out of breath and red-faced. He smiled at Kurt in a manner Kurt had never seen thus far. It was a look of genuine satisfaction, and it gave Kurt to permission to breathe a sigh of relief that his kissing, something he had never had the opportunity to properly practice, had been adequate. Perhaps even more than adequate.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," mumbled Kurt, biting his bottom lip.

"And I've been waiting even longer," Blaine replied, giving Kurt's hand a squeeze before taking a seat on the edge of the cliff. He motioned for Kurt to join him, which he gladly did. Pulling a lighter out of his pocket, the two began to systematically burn the rest of the box's contents. Letters, photographs, diary entries. Every material possession that kept Blaine tied to the past was destroyed. The exercise was cathartic for Kurt too, who let go of Karofsky's abuse with every tiny pile of ash he released into the wind.

No words were said, for none were needed. The unspoken, mutual understanding they shared was more than enough for the both of them. In this solitary place, Kurt and Blaine were alone with their baggage, which they had both learned to accept. They were just two lost boys who found each other.

**Epilogue**

"Look at that lady's hat! It's so ugly!"

Blaine grabbed Cora in a sort of headlock, holding his hand over her mouth, stifling her inappropriate comments. Kurt grinned, not feeling too guilty about the woman's hurt feelings. Moments earlier, she'd shot them a disgusted glance as Kurt and Blaine had entered the cineplex, hand in hand, to take Cora to a movie. Cora wriggled out of Blaine's grasp, making a run for the concession stand. Blaine rolled his eyes and let her go without a fight, shaking his head in amusement. Kurt took his hand again, smiling at Blaine's growing ability to shrug of the embarrassment Cora occasionally cause them.

"Proud of you," Kurt whispered. Blaine put his arm around Kurt's shoulders, pulling him close and planting a delicate peck on his cheek. As always, Blaine's touch sent Kurt's heart aflutter. Kurt's mood was only momentarily dampened by the looks the woman once again shot their way. Blaine squeezed his hand, pulling Kurt's attention back to him. Giving him a wink that told him to let it go, Kurt smiled and the pair followed in Cora's path.

Going out together was not the smoothest operation when it came to public relations. They were an odd little group, after all. Cora's inability to keep her thoughts to herself did not make strangers any more likely to warm up to the already socially rejected gay couple. The great big world wasn't Dalton Academy. People could, and would, make comments towards them, shame them, insult them. They had accepted that life was never going to be easy for the three of them. Perfect wasn't in the cards, but perfect wasn't really their style.


End file.
